Devotees of the magical nighttime sky effect may not have to travel as far north as they currently do: The Daily News is reporting that in the next 10 years, there is a 12 percent chance of a northern lights display that could be visible from Manhattan to the Caribbean. The last time the world saw such a widespread aurora borealis was 1859.
But it's not all good news: The solar flare that would set off the sky display could also leave countless people in the dark by frying power grids, communication networks and crucial satellites, and could add up to trillions of dollars in damage once the sky show is all over, followed by a rough recovery that could take years.
The new research published in the journal Space Weather finds the sun could unleash another big solar flare, much larger than the ones in January that set off impressive aurora borealis displays and caused some airlines to divert flights near the North Pole to avoid disturbances to their planes’ equipment.