Photo: surangastock/Depositphotos (Not a photo of the actual current event.)
When you think about viewing the Northern Lights, places like Iceland, Norway, and Alaska come to mind. But people living much farther south got a treat on Friday when a severe geomagnetic storm made the aurora visible across the United States, Europe, and even New Zealand as Southern Lights.
The internet began lighting up with incredible photos of the phenomenon, as many were amazed by what they witnessed. “Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country?” wrote an amazed X (formerly Twitter) user from Scotland.
So what is a geomagnetic storm, and why did it push this dazzling light show so far south? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a geomagnetic storm as “a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere.” In this case, the disturbance was caused by explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Researchers saw at least seven CMEs on May 10 when NOAA released a geomagnetic storm warning.
The storm peaked on Friday evening when it reached an extreme level known as G5. This is the first time this has occurred since October 2023. Aside from sparking Northern Lights in unusual places, this type of storm can also disrupt satellites, power grids, and other means of communication.
The solar flares responsible for the storms come from a cluster of sunspots 17 times larger than Earth. The area started acting up last Wednesday and remained active over the weekend. If you couldn’t see this aurora for yourself, keep scrolling to see some of the best images of the historic event. And, if you live in the United States, bookmark this aurora dashboard to see when they may be visible again.
An extreme geomagnetic storm made the Northern Lights visible in large parts of Europe and the United States.
– Comme si vous y étiez en accéléré !
Timelapse d’une heure – Mont Saint-Michel – Nuit du 10 au 11 Mai 2024
ℎ / Tous Droits Réservés#aurore #auroreboreale #france #northernlights #aurores #nuit pic.twitter.com/ipL1k9onGr— Mathieu Rivrin – Photographies (@mathieurivrin) May 11, 2024
Strongest aurora in 20 years this evening.
This is the astounding view as far south as Switzerland a short while ago …on top of Jungfraujoch
via https://t.co/XN8jh4HhE1 pic.twitter.com/kQMxGYa6LE
— Matt Taylor (@MetMattTaylor) May 10, 2024
Here are some of our favorite photos of the auroras captured from around the web.
Netherlands
View this post on Instagram
Canada – Banff National Park
View this post on Instagram
United Kingdom
Incredible! ☀️️
The Solar geomagnatic storm triggered Northern Lights over the UK as we flew over London at mid night on Friday #solarstorm #Auroraborealis #aurora … pic.twitter.com/F4DoFsM0Cd— Joseph Alsousou (@JosephAlsousou) May 11, 2024
England – Lake District National Park
View this post on Instagram
Ohio
View this post on Instagram
Slovenia
View this post on Instagram
Tasmania
View this post on Instagram
Spain
View this post on Instagram
Colorado
Didn’t think this one was possible. Pikes Peak from Garden of the Gods. #Aurora pic.twitter.com/HQON5vJXdO
— Rob Hoff (@robhoffimagery) May 11, 2024
Italy
View this post on Instagram
Germany
View this post on Instagram
Arizona
View this post on Instagram
United Kingdom
View this post on Instagram
Switzerland
View this post on Instagram
Ireland
View this post on Instagram
The rare event even sparked some funny memes.
— Laura Lopez (@ohdearz) May 11, 2024
lmao, for anyone that needs a good meme #northernlights missed pic.twitter.com/clFwlspqZR
— kcprinters (@kcprinters) May 11, 2024
Anyone else miss the northern lights? pic.twitter.com/xZnJ3pq5mo
— Mr. Bigglesworth Memes (@Twitermytweet) May 11, 2024
Related Articles:
Heat-Changing Mug Reveals the Aurora Borealis When Filled with a Hot Drink
The Most Spectacular Photos and Videos of the 2024 Great North American Eclipse
Rare Photos of the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) Filling the Sky With Energy
Most Enchanting Aurora Borealis Photos From the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Contest