Solar storms – powerful eruptions of solar material and magnetic fields into interplanetary space – can cause what is known as “space weather” near Earth, resulting in hazards that range from interference with communications systems and GPS errors to extensive power blackouts and the complete failure of critical satellites. According to Emmanuel Masongsong of UCLA, some of the energy emitted by the sun during solar storms is temporarily stored in Earth’s stretched and compressed magnetic field. Eventually, that solar energy is explosively released, powering Earth’s radiation belts and lighting up the polar skies with brilliant auroras. And while it is possible to observe solar storms from afar with cameras, the invisible process that unleashes the stored magnetic energy near Earth had defied observation for decades.