Aurora Borealis in Areas Far from the North Pole; Possible Disruption to Radio and Satellite Systems

The sighting of the aurora borealis on the evening of Friday, May 21, in various regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of Iran, surprised the public. However, scientific centers announced that this phenomenon is likely to be observed on the evenings of Saturday and Sunday as well. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration attributed this event to a 'solar geomagnetic storm' and stated that this space storm will continue on Saturday and Sunday, potentially affecting GPS navigation systems, power networks, and radio and satellite communications. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, these storms are caused by a series of sunspots and the ejection of plasma and magnetic fields from the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, which can create auroras in areas far from the polar circle. Scientists say the bright lights of the aurora are the result of the excitation of various gases, particularly oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to different colors appearing in the sky. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that the best time to see the northern lights is one to two hours before midnight local time. The space phenomena 'Aurora' or 'Northern Lights' were recorded on the evening of Friday, May 21, in the skies of European countries including Switzerland, the UK, and Germany, as well as large areas of North America and, for the first time, in parts of Iran, including South Khorasan province. There is also a possibility of observing this weather phenomenon in the coming nights in Iran.