Top 5 things you need to know about this geomagnetic storm that's turning skies purple and causing GPS glitches
- This is not a rare blue-moon event: The Sun is currently in a hyperactive "solar maximum" phase, meaning coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are slamming into Earth's magnetic field more frequently, making these storms a recurring theme until 2026.
- Your phone and car GPS might act drunk: The storm disrupts the ionosphere, causing satellite signals to bounce erratically. Expect minor glitches in navigation apps and drone flights, but standard cell towers are engineered to handle this.
- The real spectacle is below the Arctic Circle: Normally reserved for Alaska or Norway, this storm is powerful enough to push the Northern Lights as far south as Nebraska, Illinois, and even Alabama—so check your local aurora forecasts tonight.
- Power grids are on high alert but not in panic mode: Operators in the northern U.S. and UK are monitoring for voltage fluctuations, but modern transformers have safeguards. The real risk is for older infrastructure in regions like Scandinavia and Canada.
- How to spot it without fancy gear: Look north after midnight when the sky is darkest. If you see a faint, purplish-green glow or moving curtains of light, that's the storm—and it's perfectly safe to photograph with a standard smartphone on long exposure.