MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - Residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other parts of Russia’s central regions will be able to see the Aurora Borealis on Friday night, IFLScience.com reports.
According to Deputy Director of the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory Yuri Nagovitsin, three X-class solar flares, which are able to produce auroras visible at lower latitudes, will reach the Earth during Friday night. The solar flares are caused by powerful coronal mass ejections, which eject billions of tons of energy in solar particles into space.
X-ray solar flares are divided into five classes depending on their power: A, B, C, M and X. Each subsequent letter indicates an exponential increase in their power by ten times. Thus, "X" - is the strongest.
Solar flare may cause disturbances on the Earth today and tomorrow http://t.co/gE8ErL917i (NASA via AFP/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/giO1BVzq9o
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) 12 сентября 2014
Sky watchers will be treated to spectacular views across the sky as the massive energy of the Sun slams into Earth’s atmosphere causing a wide range of colors and hues to light up the night sky.
The auroras are reported to be visible after 10 p.m. in areas of clear weather in the region.
