Was last weekend's sudden "solar superstorm" merely a warm-up? A new article published in Nature suggests that solar physicists are expecting more powerful geomagnetic storms in the coming months, emphasizing the need to be prepared.

Friday's geomagnetic storm was intense. It reached G5 status—the highest there is—and aurora was seen as far south as Arizona and Florida in North America.

The culprit was a region of sunspots on the solar surface called AR3664, which has since rotated away from view. If it continues to spew solar flares and coronal mass ejections (the latter causes aurora), we can rest assured that we'll know about it from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, currently sailing close to the sun, and from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars, which will soon be in the firing line.

Another geomagnetic storm could happen at any time. Last weekend's was caused by several CMEs catching up with each other as they arrived at Earth en masse. That could happen again in the next few days, weeks and months as the sun gets towards "solar maximum," its once-every-11-years peak in activity.

To see the aurora at its best, you need darkness and a clear sky. That means you need to be ready to head out very late at night (if you're in the northern hemisphere) to somewhere with as little light pollution as possible.

Aurora, to the naked eye from cities, tends to look like grey streaks. Get away from light pollution, and you'll see a lot more. A Dark Sky Place finder will identify the closest Dark Sky Park, or just use a light pollution map.

However, wherever you view from you'll likely need a camera or a smartphone to get the best views. Many of the photos you've seen of the solar storm are “photographic aurora,” which only a camera taking long exposures can capture color and detail.

It might seem like over-preparing, but you may get only a moment's notice—a tweet or a WhatsApp message alerting you to a display. Having a bag packed and ready to go could give you an extra 20 minutes to get somewhere dark. After all, displays can be brief and unpredictable. Here's what you put in your aurora overnight bag:

It would also help if you know how to use your camera and your smartphone to photograph the aurora—and check apps like My Aurora Forecast & Alerts, AuroraWatchUK or the online Aurora - 30 Minute Forecast - Space Weather Prediction Center.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.