A blast of charged particles from the sun created an unexpected geomagnetic storm on Sunday.
CMEs are the blasts of charged plasma that often accompany solar flares.
This NASA animation shows the CME whipsawing across the sun, carving a fiery canyon in the process.
That impact is typically what creates auroras, also known as “northern lights” above the equator.
But this time the show came later.
A minor solar wind stream arriving during the early hours of April 10 may have helped, too."
The storm is over now, but another unexpected blast from our local star could soon bring an encore.
It’s expected to reach Earth later this week.
