The strongest geomagnetic storm observed in two decades created a jaw-dropping show.
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PopSci Staff
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Published May 11, 2024 11:07 AM EDT
The Northern Lights are seen above the Columbia River Gorge from Chanticleer Point Lookout in the early morning hours of May 11, 2024 in Latourell, Oregon. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
The aurora put on a spectacular celestial show Friday night. Bright pink, swirling greens, and splashes of purple lit up the night skies over much of the globe. Earlier in the day, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center noted that “extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions have been observed.” G5 is the most intense level for a geomagnetic storm (on a scale from G1 to G5) and has not been seen since October 2003.
[Related: We finally know what sparks the Northern Lights]
Geomagnetic storms and solar flares can cause widespread disturbances to radio communications, power grids, and navigation signals. It also means the aurora is particularly stunning.
Observers from Slovenia to Pennsylvania, New Zealand to Canada shared dazzling photos of vivid colors stretched across sky. NOAA expects the conditions to continue through Sunday, so if you missed the show on Friday, there may still be time to catch it this weekend.
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch on May 11, 2024. Photo: Sanka Vidanagama / AFP, SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images
Light green and violet-reddish auroras glow in the night sky in the Oder-Spree district of East Brandenburg, Germany. Photo: Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch. Photo: SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images
National Weather Service Seattle wrote: “Aurora still going strong after 2 AM local time. I was working during the October geomagnetic storm of 2003 and this is, hands down, the best I’ve seen in my 25 years at this office.” Photo: NWS Seattle, X
The National Weather Service in Shreveport wrote: “The clouds cleared out at the office just in time. What an unbelievable treat for us here on the midnight shift. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see the Northern Lights here in Shreveport. Incredibly thankful for dry air aloft.” Photo: NWS Shreveport, X
Well, we can’t say we get shots like this very often. This is the Space Station passing overhead around 3:12 AM with the aurora below them. Just imagine what the views have been like for them! #aurora #wawx pic.twitter.com/yxW4DdOwVG
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 11, 2024
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