A few days ago, giant explosions on the surface of the sun sent out particles at high speed into space, causing an array of lights in the night. Area 3664 of the sun, the origin of this, alongside region 3663, make up an area far larger than Earth!
Over this past weekend, many caught on camera the effects of these flares. Called “coronal mass ejections”, large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields cause “geomagnetic storms” such as the northern lights. The location of the CME will “not have any geomagnetic impacts on Earth” according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
![Northern lights may end year with a spectacle thanks to solar flare - Penticton Western News](https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/penticton/import/2017-03/84819BCLN2007yellowknifeauroraWIki.jpg)
![What to expect from the peak of Solar Cycle 25 | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/2024-01/December2023solarflare.png?h=35e060e1&itok=ZeEjfN9M)
![Why 2024 is a great year to see the northern lights](https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/ARWJGO667D7JNJELCRDBXNND5Y.jpg)