It just lit up the landscape. Fireworks of a similar kind, if not so bright, but alive in shimmering waves of color and brilliance, may soon be visible around the globe as the Sun approaches the peak of its 11-year cycle of storms. The heavy rain of solar particles, interacting with Earth's magnetic field, will light up the skies with heavenly fire known in the Northern Hemisphere as the aurora borealis. During solar disturbances, auroras materialize in places where most people never expect to see them. The eerie lights, associated in times past with spirits, mystical powers and portents of danger, can appear as luminous arcs, bands, patches, streamers, veils, rays, beads, filaments and curtains.
Shapes can pulsate, flicker or explode.
The glow often starts out greenish white in color, but can include reds, yellows, blues, purples and a delicate shade of pink, which is often too faint for the naked eye. The odds of seeing one of the ghostly dances are now unusually high, despite the growth in recent years of light pollution near cities. The main reason is strides in forecasting solar eruptions, which produce auroras big enough and bright enough to extend down from northern latitudes into the lower regions where most people live. The lights last anywhere from a few hours to days. And lately, the improved forecasts have led to global alerts for auspicious viewing times, which are routinely posted on the Internet.