On Tuesday morning, the sun released a powerful M6.9 solar flare — the second-strongest category — sending a coronal mass ejection hurtling toward Earth on a trajectory to arrive by Friday. These periodic eruptions remind us that our star is not a passive backdrop but an active force capable of disrupting the invisible systems civilization depends upon. In the disruption, however, lies a rare gift: the possibility of auroras painting the night sky for those fortunate enough to be watching from the right place at the right time.