Skywatchers in Europe, New Zealand, and parts of the northern United States were treated to a breathtaking display of green, purple, and red auroras on Sunday. These dazzling light shows are known as the northern and southern lights and were triggered by the fastest-moving solar storm in at least five years. However, the geomagnetic activity quickly waned, causing the auroras to fade.

Avid aurora hunter, Alexander Kuznetsov from Finland, described the spectacle as an "amazing dance" that started as a sharp arc in the southern horizon before moving overhead, producing vibrant red and purple auroras. Other observers in southwest Finland, like Matti Helin, marveled at the "nice display" that lasted around 20 minutes.

The incredible solar storm and the resulting brilliant auroras come as the sun enters its most active phase in two decades. Scientists predict that there will be more auroral activity in the coming years, including the upcoming months.

Auroras occur when the sun releases a surge of solar particles towards Earth, disturbing our magnetic field and causing a geomagnetic storm. These solar particles excite oxygen and nitrogen molecules in our upper atmosphere, emitting photons of light that create the stunning auroral displays.

The intensity of geomagnetic storms is measured on a scale of 1 to 5 by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. On Sunday, the geomagnetic storm reached a G4 level initially but quickly weakened to G2 and G1 levels within a few hours. The solar storm continued to buffet Earth's magnetic field on Monday morning but without the possibility of strong aurora activity due to the weakened magnetic field.

The most impressive auroral displays were observed in parts of Europe and the southern hemisphere, where the G4 activity coincided with evening or nighttime. Unfortunately, in the United States, the G4 conditions occurred during the daytime, obscuring the light display. However, some northern regions of the country still managed to witness dancing lights during the weaker geomagnetic storm at night.

New Zealand was particularly well-positioned to experience the aurora display, even with clouds interfering with the view. The aurora was still strong, despite the presence of a full moon.

Scientists attributed the geomagnetic activity to a group of sunspots, dark and cooler regions on the sun's surface. Sunspots harbor strong magnetic fields that often tangle, cross, and reorganize until a surge of energy is released. On Friday, activity around the sunspots included an impressive solar flare, which emitted a powerful wave of electromagnetic radiation that affected radio communication.

Simultaneously, another eruption known as a coronal mass ejection occurred on the sun's surface. This eruption propelled a surge of solar particles directly toward Earth at an astonishing speed of approximately 1.7 million mph. The arrival of the coronal mass ejection happened 10 hours earlier than expected, setting a record as the fastest-moving eruption in the current solar cycle.

However, a direct hit from a fast-moving coronal mass ejection does not guarantee widespread auroras. The magnetic orientation of the coronal mass ejection also needs to align correctly with Earth for a strong connection. Consequently, the initial strong response of the geomagnetic storm gradually weakened as the orientation of the coronal mass ejection shifted.

Despite the weakening of the geomagnetic storm, skywatchers in northern latitudes were still fortunate enough to witness the enchanting dancing lights.

As the sun continues its solar cycle, scientists anticipate more eruptions and an increase in auroral activity in the coming months. So, if you missed Sunday's incredible display, there will be further opportunities to marvel at these natural wonders.

"Standby. There's more to come," said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator for NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. "We will see more of these types of eruptions in the coming months because of the stage of the solar cycle."