As it continued into the weekend, the strongest solar storm in over 20 years hit Earth, causing breathtaking celestial light displays from Tasmania to Britain and raising the possibility of interference with satellites and power systems.
The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that shortly after 1600 GMT, the first of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun—occurred.

The children were just roused to go observe the Northern Lights in the backyard! Iain Mansfield in Hertford, England, told AFP, “It’s clearly visible with the naked eye.”

Tasmania, an island state in Australia, was not alone in feeling awe.

“Today at four in the morning in Tasmania, the skies were truly biblical. Photographer Sean O’ Riordan wrote, “I’m leaving today and knew I could not pass up this opportunity,” along with a picture on the social media site X.

The power grid, airlines, and satellite operators were alerted by the authorities to take preventative measures against possible disruptions resulting from modifications to Earth’s magnetic field.

Elon Musk called the solar storm the “biggest in a long time.” Starlink is a satellite internet operator with about 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

According to Musk, “Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far,” in a post on LinkedIn.