![\"Perseid](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1762414329_834_960x0.jpg\")
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The northern lights in Aitkin, Minnesota on Aug. 12, 2024. (Photo by Christopher Mark Juhn\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Update, Nov. 5, 2025: NOAA has upgraded its forecast to a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, meaning up to 21 U.S. states may see aurora overnight on Nov. 6-7, 2025. <\/p>\n
Two X-class solar flares \u2014 the strongest category there is \u2014 occurred on the sun on Nov. 4, as solar activity suddenly spiked. They were followed by strong M-class solar flares on Nov. 5. <\/p>\n
With a region of intense magnetic activity now facing Earth, geomagnetic storms are expected over the next week or so, with NOAA already forecasting<\/a> a strong G3 geomagnetic storm on Thursday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 7.<\/p>\n What Just Happened On The Sun<\/p>\n On Nov. 4, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spotted X1.1 and X1.8 solar flares, the only X-class solar flares since June 19, 2025. Unpredictable, intense bursts of energy and electromagnetic radiation from the sun’s surface, solar flares are categorized according to how strong they are. X-class describes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about their strength, according to NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n There were also two slightly weaker M-class solar flares, rated M3.5 and M7.4, on Nov. 4 and 5, respectively. Most of the activity is coming from a new sunspot called 4274, which has appeared on the left-hand side of the sun as we see it as our star rotates.<\/p>\n A solar flare warning from NOAA on Nov. 4, 2025. <\/p>\n NOAAWarning From NOAA<\/p>\n In the wake of the solar flares, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Space Weather Prediction Center confirmed the Nov. 4 events caused a strong radio blackout. X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from a solar flare travel at the speed of light, causing a radio blackout on the day-side of Earth within about eight minutes.<\/p>\n However, the huge clouds of charged particles that often leave the sun in the wake of solar flares \u2014 called coronal mass ejections \u2014 move much more slowly, taking 24-72 hours, depending on how fast they move. That’s crucial for skywatchers because it’s CMEs that ultimately cause auroras.<\/p>\n NOAA’s aurora viewline forecast for overnight on Nov. 6-7, 2025. <\/p>\n NOAANorthern Lights Incoming<\/p>\n With at least two CMEs destined to graze Earth’s magnetic field this week, NOAA is forecasting minor G1-rated geomagnetic storming as it gets dark in North America on Thursday, Nov. 6, through the early hours of Friday, Nov. 7. However, according to Spaceweather.com<\/a>, “don’t be surprised if something stronger happens.”<\/p>\n NOAA predicts<\/a> that the “potential arrivals of the … CMEs will likely produce G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storming levels with a slight chance for the G2 (Moderate) levels.” According to NOAA\u2019s aurora viewline<\/a>, 21 states could see displays of the Northern Lights in northern skies.<\/p>\n Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The northern lights in Aitkin, Minnesota on Aug. 12, 2024. (Photo by Christopher Mark Juhn\/Anadolu via Getty Images)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":246868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[38626,3398,29296,38627,59,3539,38624,29297,38625,90,56,54,55,103277],"class_list":{"0":"post-246867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-aurora-alert","9":"tag-aurora-borealis","10":"tag-aurora-forecast","11":"tag-aurora-tonight","12":"tag-gb","13":"tag-northern-lights","14":"tag-northern-lights-alert","15":"tag-northern-lights-forecast","16":"tag-northern-lights-tonight","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom","21":"tag-when-to-see-aurora"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}