Sun erupts with 3 solar flares, raising chances of northern lights for U.S.

Three solar flares burst from the sun toward Earth this week, scientists said, and the enormous beams of energy, light and high-speed particles may increase the odds of seeing the northern lights for people across the United States as they travel closer to our planet. Solar flares are giant eruptions of electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays and ultraviolet light, which launch into space off the sun's surface, according to NASA . The explosions are often associated with solar magnetic storms, also known as coronal mass ejections, and they can significantly disrupt technology on Earth if pointed in its direction. The trio of flares that left the sun a couple of days ago were each expelled from the star at slightly different angles, all within a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center . The center predicts that the three of them will catch up to one another and combine before reaching Earth. "There is a fair level of confidence about an Earth arrival," it said in an advisory. However, it noted that the intensity of the flares, and the extent to which they could impact Earth, remained uncertain. Scientists measure the strength of geomagnetic storms on a scale of 1 to 5, ranking from "minor" to "extreme." This one is expected to fall somewhere in the middle, with forecasters suggesting it will be either "strong" or "severe." NASA said the powerful solar flare peaked just before 7:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. …