Sun is awakening with solar storms

After a lengthy slumber, the sun is waking up, crackling with activity and hurling blistering pulses of energy into space. Solar physicists are expecting an uptick in stormy “space weather,” with implications that affect us here on Earth.

As soon as Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that a solar outburst could generate northern lights or aurora as far south as Oregon to Pennsylvania.

This flare-up coincides with the onset of “Solar Cycle 25,” an 11-year window within which storminess on the surface of the sun peaks and “solar storms” become routine.