Photos: Solar flare makes aurora borealis visible across the globe

by Rashad Simmons - 05/11/24 9:32 AM ET

Silhouette of photographer with a camera and a tripod captures the Northern Lights. Northern lights appearance in the night sky from rare, geomagnetic solar storm phenomenon. Aurora borealis illumination visible in purple and green color bands from the Dutch countryside. Winterle, Netherlands on May 11, 2024 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A massive solar storm hit the United States and the rest of the globe Friday evening, becoming the biggest in decades.

The intensity of the solar storm painted the night skies in different colors — such as pinks, purples, and greens.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported late Friday that the solar storm would occur over a few hours and days, causing a flare of lights to bloom across the Earth.

“We anticipate that we’re going to get one shock after another, so we’re really buckling down here,” Brent Gordon, chief of the Space Weather Services branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.

The rare solar storm can be seen in photos, capturing the night sky with hues of colors.