DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Tonight's auroral activity coincides with two X-class solar flares that escaped from the Sun this past Sunday and Monday. These flares are the result of coronal mass ejections, or eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields that escape from the sun. The two flares that escaped from the sun earlier this week are known as X-class flares—the largest type of flare measured. The first escaped on Sunday and is expected to arrive this evening. The second, which escaped on Monday, could arrive as soon as Wednesday morning. The end result is a display of mesmerizing colors caused by particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere

Green is the most common color associated with the aurora. This color is produced when charged particles excite oxygen m

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