(NEXSTAR) – Those who missed the stunning northern lights display in November may have another chance at witnessing the celestial phenomenon Tuesday night, depending on where they live.
Northern lights, or the aurora borealis, occur when charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s magnetic shield, causing a geomagnetic storm, according to NASA.
The particles are propelled by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and the colors we ultimately see – including green, blue, purple, pink and red – are dependent on the type of atmospheric gas that the particles slam into, as well as the latitude of the gas.
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While not as intense as November’s, the CME impacting Earth Tuesday could cause a level-3 geomagnetic storm (5 is the highest on the G-scale), according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
The center warns that the storm could also have “minor effects to some technological infrastructure.”…