Earth has experienced a rare and powerful geometric storm on Monday, January 19, 2026, after the surge of an intense solar flare struck the Earth's magnetic field. A spectacular event that occurs after the solar flare strikes
the planet's magnetic field creates the Aurora Borealis. Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, is a natural scattering of light in the sky which is caused by solar flares.
A severe solar storm that struck the Earth's atmosphere on Monday caused the aurora borealis to be visible in several countries across Europe and North America. According to NASA, the event was described as the strongest solar storm in nearly 20 years.
Aurora Borealis lights up Northern skies
Powerful solar activity from the Sun, which reached Earth on Monday, triggered vivid aurora displays in parts of the world, temporarily disrupting GPS systems, which are used for navigation. Strong solar activity created spectacular auroras in many parts of the world, including Austria, Romania, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, North America, Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and China, among others.
Aurora Borealis painted the sky
The timings for geomagnetic storm could not have been better for visibility. The dark sky and less light pollution made the conditions perfect for the Aurora display. During the event, the Northern skies illuminated with a blend of colours: red, pink, green, and yellow, making it a marvelous sight that one cannot take their eyes off from this magnificent natural sighting. When the Solar flare reaches the Earth's atmosphere, they interact with gases in the atmosphere, creating a display of lights of different colours in the sky.
Biggest solar storm in nearly 20 years: NASA
According to the National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA), the sun has emitted the strongest solar flare in nearly 20 years. The last time S4 levels were observed was in October 2003. The event caused power outages and damaged electricity transformers in South Africa. According to scientists, the geometric storm occurs when energised particles from Coronal Mass Ejection (CMEs), a vast eruption of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's outer atmosphere, are directed towards the Earth. These Solar flares are so powerful that their eruption can impact electric power grids, navigation signals, radio communication, and more.
Why do we often see only green-coloured Auroras?
The northern and southern lights (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) are formed by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles continually flowing from the sun. When these energised particles enter the polar regions of the Earth, they collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere. When the charged particles come in contact with oxygen gases present in the atmosphere, they produce green lights that scatter in the sky. Blue and purple colours are caused by collisions with nitrogen.
