Stormy with a chance of protons: How Irish scientists are forecasting the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights were visible from Ireland this week, but what causes them and are there other effects that we should be concerned about? 

A large flare and solar storm captured by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and ESA/Nasa’s Soho spacecrafts on November 11. Picture: Peter Gallagher (DIAS)/ESA/NASA/JHelioviewer.

Last week, the sun unleashed three large solar storms from a group of sunspots on the eastern side of the sun.  

Travelling at millions of kilometers per hour, the first two storms traversed the 149m kilometres from the Sun to the Earth in about two days.