fr/spaceweather.com
GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A solar wind stream hit Earth’s magnetic field during the early hours of March 1st, sparking a day-long magnetic storm that is subsiding but perhaps not over yet. In recent hours, spotters have reported auroras over Northern Ireland, Scotland, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden. High-latitude sky watchers in North America should be alert for green lights as night falls across their continent. Stay tuned! [Aurora alerts: phone, text]

NASA space physicist James Spann sends this picture from Poker Flats, Alaska, where he is attending a scientific conference to study auroras:

Photo details: Nikon D700 with 14-24mm lens at f/3.5, exposure of 25 seconds at 14 mm, ISO 1000

“This is the first time I have seen the aurora borealis in person,” says Spann who lives in Alabama. “It was fantastic–the greatest light show on Earth. It was cold (<-20 F) outside but worth every minute of exposure and lost sleep. I am afraid now that I have been ruined for life since my first personal viewing of the aurora was so amazing." As a researcher he also appreciated the greater meaning of the display: "This is the most obvious and accessible evidence of the connectivity that Earth has with our star the sun. Witnessing the connectivity first-hand was particularly special to me."