solar flares

A surprise announcement from scientists involved in monitoring the solar cycle has finally confirmed that the sun's most active and dangerous phase — solar maximum — is already well underway, and could continue for at least a year.

A powerful solar outburst hit Earth Thursday, triggering a "severe" geomagnetic storm. Auroras could be visible as far south as California and Alabama, NOAA predicts.

The sun has unleashed the most powerful solar flare since 2017, just days after it spat out another monster explosion. Both outbursts have launched solar storms that will likely hit Earth this weekend and trigger vibrant aurora displays.

Vibrant auroras could be visible as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania tonight as Earth reels from a "strong" G3-class geomagnetic storm. However, the nearly full Harvest Moon may complicate viewing opportunities.

September could be a prime time to see vibrant auroras, thanks to a quirk of Earth's tilt that leads to more intense geomagnetic activity around the equinox.

Auroras may once again be visible in northern parts of the U.S. this weekend as Earth braces for impact from a powerful coronal mass ejection.

Vibrant auroras that were recently observed by millions of people across the globe were some of the most widespread in the last five centuries, NASA says. The light shows may have also reached the equator.

The strongest solar flare in half a decade just launched off the sun from the same sunspot group that triggered dazzling auroras last weekend. But don't expect northern lights this time around.

In the early hours of Tuesday (April 23), quadruple solar flares near-simultaneously exploded from across the sun's surface, and there's a good chance that one of these outbursts launched a solar storm toward Earth.

During the recent total solar eclipse on April 8, scientists and other observers spotted some strange things in the sky and on the ground. Here are some of our favorites.