The aurora was seen late Tuesday night as far South as Texas as the result of a geomagnetic storm, or strong solar winds from the sun dumping energy into the atmosphere. Across the US and Europe on Tuesday, social media lit up with posts of sightings, including some in Virginia.

CMEs, or coronal mass ejections, occur when the sun spits out large amounts of plasma and energy. When it arrives at the earth, it causes powerful storms in the upper atmosphere. This appears to human eyes as the Northern Lights.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its three-day forecast, which shows a possible “strong” or “severe” storm on the 12th. “Up to G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storms are expected on 12 Nov due to CME influences,” the NOAA reported.

Geomagnetic storms are often liable to affect technology, including GPS infrastructure, the power grid, and radios. According to the NOAA, “Strong radio blackouts are likely over 12-14 of Nov.,” causing interruptions in service. Furthermore, Blue Origin had to delay the launch of a number of satellites set to orbit mars until after solar conditions improve.

These atmospheric conditions could bring the aurora to large portions of the United States, possibly including Virginia. However, it remains to be seen how the solar wind reacts with earth, since, like planetary weather, geomagnetic storms are unpredictable. 

Although human eyes cannot easily bring out the color of the aurora, cameras with long exposure times can more easily capture the pink and green hues of the lights.

There may be more chances to see the Northern Lights in coming months, as the sun is near its solar maximum, or the point in an 11-year cycle when the sun’s activity will be at its peak and its magnetic poles swap. This causes more frequent and strong solar storms, and as a result the aurora becomes more likely. 

South Lakes student, Anna Harris, saw the aurora last year in Reston over Lake Thoreau, and wants to see them again. Harris enjoyed seeing them, and the experience made her want to go to Europe and see the aurora more vividly. “They were really pretty,” Harris said. “I’d like to go to Iceland to actually see them for real.”