Skywatchers around the world watched a spectacular aurora light show over the weekend. aurora Reports have been reported as far south as Greece and Türkiye.
The colorful aurora display was caused by a strong geomagnetic storm, which peaked at 12:40pm ET (17:40 GMT) on November 5th and was ranked as strong G3 on the five-point scale used by the global standard. It has reached its peak. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) assess the severity of space weather event.
magnetic storm is a disturbance earth’s magnetic field caused by solar material from coronal mass ejection (CME) — Massive emission of plasma and magnetic field atmosphere of the sun. This particular geomagnetic storm was caused by not one, but two CMEs colliding. earth According to November 4th and November 5th spaceweather.com
Related: Auroral colors: What causes them and why do they change?
During solar storms, energetic particles Sun slam earth’s atmosphere At speeds of up to 45 million miles per hour (72 million km per hour), Earth’s magnetic field funnels particles toward the poles. A supercharge of molecules in Earth’s atmosphere causes a colorful spectacle, which is usually observed in areas of high latitudes where the northern auroras (northern lights) are seen, and in areas of higher latitudes where the antarctic aurora (southern lights) are seen. Restricted to low latitude areas.
Below are some of the best aurora photos taken by skywatchers around the world.
Debbie Thorne used her iPhone 14 Pro in night mode to capture this beautiful display from Cullen in Scotland’s Moray Firth on November 5th.
“We’re lucky to have seen the Northern Lights many times on the west coast of Scotland, and we’re lucky to still be able to see them in the Moray Firth, where we live now,” Thorne told Space.com. , I have to say the display last night was amazing.”
“I’ve never seen such a bright pink. Usually it’s a pale pinkish green. I never get tired of seeing it, and I’m often overwhelmed by this amazing thing that’s happening in the sky. And we… is just a dot. I often wonder what our ancestors had. It was created when they saw the sky dancing, but from their back door in Scotland. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to experience that. ” Thorne continued.
Meteorologist Angel Enriquez was working the night shift at the National Weather Service in Glasgow, in northeastern Montana, when a colleague alerted him to the aurora light show.
“My co-worker was collecting photos of himself while he was out, and he sent me a message saying, ‘Come outside now,'” Enriquez told Space.com. “I took my tripod to the darkest part of the office, which happened to be next to the radar, and took some memorable photos.”
Astrophotographer Josh Durie spotted the red aurora borealis in the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
“On the night of this shoot, I was scouting several locations, clear skies permitting,” Dury told Space.com. It was then possible to watch the Northern Lights from the window and capture the beautiful red pillars low on the northern horizon.”
Astrophotographer Gareth Mon Jones captured a stunning view of the Northern Lights above Penmon Lighthouse on Anglesey.
“It’s a great show on Anglesey tonight,” Jones said. I wrote to X. “My girlfriend was delighted to see the best Northern Lights she had seen in a long time.”
philip makarian I witnessed the Northern Lights shine on the south shore of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
“It was an amazing night of aurora borealis here in Northern Ireland. One of the best aurora borealis I have ever seen or photographed,” McAleen told Space.com.
Many skywatchers also took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their aurora encounters.
space weather physicist Tamisa Skov I was left speechless after retweeting a photo of the bright red aurora borealis seen over Greece.
“This #solarstorm peaked in G3, but views like this are certainly special. Could changes in Earth’s magnetic field and the growth of the #aurora show at the equator play a role here? ” Skov wrote.
I was speechless. The #Aurora borealis graces the skies of Greece. This #solarstorm peaked at her G3, but views like this are certainly special. Could changes in Earth’s magnetic field and the growth of #aurora shows at the equator play a role here? https://t.co/eRA9wwlcEhNovember 6, 2023
Auroras were also reported in Türkiye.
Northern (polar) lights caused by magnetic storms seen in many parts of Turkey.. #Tekirdağ #istanbul #yalova #samsun #van #Türkiye #aurora #solar #geomanyetik #northernlights #kuzeyışıkları #Auroraborealis pic.twitter.com/8OGovoJ7IkNovember 5, 2023
travel and landscape photographer Paul Pichugin An incredible time-lapse of the Northern Lights lighting up the sky above Busselton, Western Australia.
A time-lapse video of the Aurora Australis over Busselton, Western Australia. From late last night until early this morning. #WesternAustralia #Aurora pic.twitter.com/v8KG3UM7WbNovember 5, 2023
landscape photographer alistair hamill We captured the first sub-auroral arc of solar cycle 25.
“I had to try and make a panorama to fit everything in. This arc was right above my head at the time!” Hamill posted on X (formerly Twitter).
We had some amazing Northern Lights in Glenarm last night – including the first sub-auroral arc of solar cycle 25! We had to find a panorama to fit it all in! This arc was right over my head at the time. pic.twitter.com/MLQOh8Lp14November 5, 2023
But not all light shows were aurora borealis. At the peak of the storm, STEVE appeared in front of some people.
Steve is an aurora-like glow that is often associated with the aurora borealis, but is a separate phenomenon. American Geophysical Union (Ag). This acronym stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. STEVE is caused by a stream of high-temperature (5,400 degrees Fahrenheit or 3,000 degrees Celsius) gas that snakes through Earth’s magnetosphere. According to spaceweather.com, when these currents are activated by a magnetic storm, they emit light.
Stephen Lomas was able to photograph the mysterious Steve over Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, England.
“This was the most powerful aurora display I’ve seen in my eight years of photography,” Lomas told Space.com. “The highlight was seeing Corona and Steve!”
Lomas also captured a truly mythical scene of the bright green and red Northern Lights dancing above Dunstanburgh Castle.
photographer Martin McKenna (Night Sky Hunter) We asked X to post a great photo of STEVE.
“I’ve been observing the Northern Lights since 1998 using 180 displays, but this was my first sighting. What an amazing show!” McKenna wrote of the X.
Last night’s spectacular sight over Swatra was in the form of a proton arc that spread across the sky from west to east and near Jupiter. I have been observing the Northern Lights on his 180 displays since 1998, but this was my first sighting. What a great show! https://t.co/19Wt2BjIl1 #Steve pic.twitter.com/6Vma3zeAfNNovember 6, 2023
Editor’s note: If you have a great photo of the Northern Lights (or any other night sky phenomenon) and would like to be considered for inclusion on Space.com, please send an email to: space@spacephotos.com.