'Cannibal' solar storm could paint auroras above 18 US states this Labor Day

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Space weather experts warn that a "strong" geomagnetic storm will rock Earth on Sept. 1-2, potentially lighting the skies with vibrant auroras across large parts of North America. The disturbance is being triggered by a rare, cannibalistic ejection from the sun.

A photo of a stargazer looking up at a night sky full of auroras
Vibrant aurora displays could be visible in up to 18 U.S. states as people celebrate Labor Day. (Image credit: Alexander Manzyuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A "cannibalistic" solar storm is about to slam into Earth's magnetic field, triggering vibrant auroras that will potentially be visible in up to 18 different U.S. states, just in time for Labor Day.

On Saturday (Aug. 30), sunspot 4204, located near the sun's equator, unleashed a long-duration, M-class solar flare — the second most powerful type of eruption our home star's surface is capable of producing. The M2.7 magnitude blast, which occurred over more than 3 hours, also spat out a fast-moving cloud of magnetized plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), which NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft revealed was "heading straight for Earth," according to Spaceweather.com.

When the conjoined solar storms arrive, the resulting impact will temporarily disrupt our planet's protective shield, allowing charged particles to penetrate deep into the atmosphere where they can excite gas molecules and trigger the Northern Lights.

The disturbance, known as a geomagnetic storm, will likely reach G2 (moderate) class, but could also escalate to a G3 (strong) storm at its peak, according to a recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center.

Related: A mysterious, 100-year solar cycle may have just restarted — and it could mean decades of dangerous space weather

Looped video of an graph animation showing the CME's moving toward Earth through space

Experts quickly realized that the solar flare unleashed two CMEs that have since combined on their way toward Earth. (Image credit: NOAA/SWPC/Dr. Tamitha Skov)

The resulting auroras will be visible much farther south in the U.S. than normal, potentially appearing in as many as 18 states. These will include Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, New York, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois, Live Science's sister site Space.com reported.

The auroras will likely be most visible in the early hours of tomorrow (Sept. 2) and will be clearest in areas away from major cities, where there is minimal light pollution. But if you cannot see them with the naked eye, you may still be able to photograph them.

Cannibal solar storms are rare. However, there have been several examples in recent years, including a significant event in December 2023 and another example in August last year.

Looped video footage of an explosion flaring on the sun's surface

An M2.7 magnitude solar flare exploded from the sun on Saturday (Aug. 30), hurling two back-to-back CMEs into space. (Image credit: NASA/SDO)

There have also been several major geomagnetic storms in the last 18 months, including a supercharged G5 (extreme) disturbance in May 2024, which painted widespread auroras across the globe, scrambled GPS systems and birthed a new "radiation belt" around our planet. Experts have since revealed that the damages from this storm exceeded $500 million.

The recent peak in solar activity can be attributed to solar maximum — the most active phase of the sun's roughly 11-year solar cycle, when the number and size of sunspots and solar storms rise sharply.

Experts now believe that the current solar maximum has likely come to a close. However, there has been a mini-resurgence in activity in recent weeks, such as a giant solar tornado that raged on the sun's surface for multiple days in late August.

Solar activity will also likely remain high in the coming months and years due to continued instability within the sun's magnetic field.

Harry Baker
Harry Baker
Senior Staff Writer

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won "best space submission" at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weekly Earth from space series.

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