Charged particles fly towards Earth due to eruptions on the sun. When they arrive at the magnetic field around the Earth, the colorful phenomenon occurs. The KNMI sends weather balloons into the air to take measurements at high altitudes.
According to the weather institute, there have been several eruptions on the sun in recent days. These led to “a rare strong increase in cosmic rays.” The particle cloud that ejected the sun on Tuesday was the most powerful eruption. It will arrive at Earth on Wednesday. According to the KNMI, it is not certain when exactly this will happen and how bright the northern lights will become.
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The German space agency DLR is also monitoring the plasma cloud. According to the agency, the eruptions may be so intense that the highest warning level is necessary. That’s called G5, which stands for extreme space weather. Communications satellites and electricity grids could then fail. The alarm is currently one step lower, at level G4 (severe).
The aurora borealis can usually be seen near the Arctic Circle, for example in Scandinavia. Occasionally the northern lights also come further south, as far as the Netherlands. Light pollution makes it difficult to see in urban areas. If the Northern Lights are visible in the Netherlands, the chance is usually greatest on the Wadden Islands.
In 1859, telegraph networks in Europe and the United States failed due to powerful plasma clouds from the sun. Some employees received an electric shock. During an eruption last year, the Northern Lights could be seen as far away as Jamaica and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.