The northern lights, or aurora borealis, were an extraordinary sight in Britain and other European countries due to a severe solar storm. Unusual for their southern appearance, people shared their amazement on social media. The phenomenon also appeared in North America, attributed to material expelled from the sun's surface. The solar storm, caused by flaring sunspots, prompted a rare warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration due to potential disruptions to communications and power grids.