NASA warns that the aurora borealis could devastate Earth.

NASA has shared a spectacular photo of the aurora borealis in the sky over Iceland, known asBeauty and the Beast, while also issuing a warning that this stunning aurora borealis is not a very encouraging sign.

The aurora borealis is a stunning sight, but it also serves as a warning sign of extremely dangerous solar storms.

This image was taken by astronomer Juan Carlos Casado over Lake Thingvallavatn in Iceland in 2016 and was selected as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

The aurora borealis shown above takes the form of a stunning green spiral amidst picturesque clouds, with the bright Moon beside it and stars in the background. The aurora is actually the result of collisions between charged particles from the Sun and particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

Although they are usually harmless, scientists warn that a particularly powerful solar flare could one day release charged particles that could potentially disrupt Earth's communication networks.

This had happened once before in 1859, when charged particles associated with the Sun's energetic magnetic field bombarded the Earth's magnetic field, known as "The Carrington Event.

Measures have been put in place to protect Earth from the effects of solar storms, but Casado warns that if a similar large-scale event were to occur, it could be devastating.