Intense solar flares will create colorful aurora lights

The X-class solar flare unleashed by the sun Tuesday could supercharge the northern lights, resulting in an impressive aurora display across northern U.S.

The phenomenon can be seen Thursday and Friday and will be visible as far south as Seattle, Chicago, and Boston.

The strong solar flare led to the postponement of NASA's launch of a private cargo mission and possibly affected communication signals. But a welcome effect of this flare is that the auroras will reach beyond their regular boundaries in the northern climes.

According to the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, auroras will be seen over large areas of Canada and Alaska. Residents of Scotland, the far north of England and Northern Ireland may also be able to see the light display, according to the British Geological Survey.

When charged particles, such as from a solar flare, bombard the atmosphere and travel through the lines of Earth's magnetic shield, oxygen and nitrogen ions are excited, producing the auroras.

[Live Science]