Spectacular Nasa footage of solar activity behind the aurora
In May 2024, we saw a huge increase in extreme geomagnetic storms, leading to some spectacular aurora displays around the world. This escalation in charged particles hitting the Earth is because the Sun is reaching its 'solar maximum' - a period of intense activity on its surface.
With the help of new footage from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory, we look at why the Earth is under constant bombardment from the 'solar wind'.
Video by Howard Timberlake