Sun news: Auroras light up skies, as solar wind pours in

What’s Happening

Okay so Sun news for March 15, 2026: Auroras danced under G2 storm conditions as solar wind hit 700 km/s.

More G1-G2 storming possible tonight. The post Sun news: Auroras light up skies, as solar wind pours in first appeared on EarthSky. (wild, right?)

Science news, solid photos, sky alerts.

The Details

Auroras danced across high-latitude skies again last night, as Earth remained under the influence of a powerful coronal hole high-speed stream. The solar wind surged to speeds near 700 km/s, roughly 1.

Auroras were seen as far south as Toronto, Chicago, and northern England. Isolated G1 (minor) storming is likely to continue today, with a chance for another G2 burst if a glancing coronal mass ejection (CME) from March 13 clips Earth late on March 15.

Why This Matters

Have you seen auroras this weekend? Get ready for more tonight and with us! Flare activity stayed low over the past day, with only C-class flares and a smattering of B-class events.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

Key Takeaways

• The exception just arrived in the form of an M1 solar flare from AR4395 in the southeast, peaking at 9:39 UTC on March 15.
• The sun produced a total of 19 flares during the past day: 1 M-class (moderate), 12 C-class (common), and 1 B-class (weak).
• Forecasters catalogued four coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the past day, but none should deliver a significant Earth impact.

The Bottom Line

Speeds peaked near 700–755 km/s (the highest value recorded at 07:25 UTC on March 14), placing wind conditions at mostly strong levels. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) total strength reached a peak of 13 nT before settling to 8–9 nT.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.