Whether you’re watching the aurora borealis in the north or the aurora australis in the south, you’re seeing the same spectacle, caused by the solar wind hitting the Earth's magnetic field and producing currents of ions. Those ions collide with gas atoms in the atmosphere, creating extra energy that's released as photons. The result? Beautiful, cascading bands of light in the sky. #HostilePlanet is now streaming on Disney . | National Geographic Adventure

Despite many sources calling this year or next year the peak for aurora viewing, the solar activity seems to have already turned a corner. We saw two X-class flares last September (2024), yet there were zero X-flares last month. Last October 2024 was a period of extreme intensity, recording four X-class flares, notably the X7.1 (Oct 1st) and the monster X9.0 (Oct 3rd). This month has recorded zero X-class flares so far. This clear drop in powerful activity suggests the true Solar Maximum actuall