Subsiding Storm

Subsiding Storm

Earth is exiting a stream of high-speed solar wind that has been blowing around our planet for days. During the period of peak gustiness on April 16-17, a G2-class geomagnetic storm broke out, sparking bright auroras over Scandinavia, Canada, and northern-tier US states. Kameron Barge photographed the colorful lights over Glacier National Park in Montana:

"The sky was calm and clear--perfect conditions for this brilliant display of dancing lights," says Barge. Elsewhere in the USA, auroras were sighted as far south as Wyoming, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, and Idaho.
The auroras will fade this weekend as Earth moves out of the solar wind stream. However, we should keep in mind that intermittent flare-ups are possible even as the solar wind subsides. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of renewed geomagnetic storms during the next 24 hours.

From SpaceWeather.com