Photo: Supplied / Elton McAleerRays from the biggest solar storm of the last couple of decades hit the Earth overnight, causing aurora visible in both the north and south extremes of the globe. The lights were caused by a storm that nearly hit the highest level on the scale used by space weather monitors to measure magnetic disturbance. Share them with us at: iwitness@rnz.co.nzPhoto: Rebecca Bull / RNZEarly Tuesday morning, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) posted on X: "An S4 severe solar radiation storm is now in progress - this is the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years. The solar storms of October 2003 caused power outages in Sweden and damages to power transformers in South Africa, CNN reported. The agency had activated its Space Weather Science Advisory Panel, which had considered international space weather monitoring and forecasting agencies, as well as current information from the NZ-based monitoring network.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 21, 2026 03:38 UTC