A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun are creating dazzling auroras across the globe. The rare solar storm may also disrupt communications. The last time a solar storm of this magnitude reached Earth was in October 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Understanding Auroras
Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) and southern lights (aurora australis). When energized particles from coronal mass ejections reach Earth’s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere, creating a spectrum of colors in the night sky.
Even when auroras are not visible to the naked eye, photographs of the night sky can capture stunning colors that might otherwise go unnoticed. Below, we showcase some breathtaking images of these celestial phenomena.
Aurora borealis shines above the Chicago skyline on Saturday, May 11.A person watches the northern lights from atop a rock formation near Sheffield, England, on May 11.Aurora borealis is reflected in water at Manning Park in British Columbia, on May 11.People look at the aurora australis on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand, on May 11.In this long exposure photo, the blinking lights of a plane streak through the aurora borealis over Lake Berryessa, California, on May 11.The northern lights shine in the night sky above the Molenviergang in Aarlanderveen, the Netherlands, early May 11.The northern lights illuminate the sky in Debrad, Slovakia, on May 11.The aurora borealis glows in the night sky over the mountains in Le Col des Mosses pass, Ormont-Dessous, Switzerland, during the early hours of May 11.The aurora borealis illuminates the skies over the southwestern Siberian town of Tara, in Russia’s Omsk region, on May 11.The aurora borealis glows over Vienna on May 11.The northern lights are seen in a rural area west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday, May 10.People photograph the northern lights from Whitley Bay, England, on May 10.The northern lights flare in the sky over a farmhouse in Brunswick, Maine, on May 10.Aurora australis, or the southern lights, glow over Villarrica volcano in Pucón, Chile, on May 10.People stop along a country road near London, Ontario, to view the aurora borealis on May 10.The aurora borealis lights are seen over western Tennessee out the window of a flight from Washington, DC, to Memphis, Tennessee, on May 10.The northern lights are seen in the sky over Rich Hill, Missouri, on May 10.The northern lights glow in the night sky in Brandenburg, Germany, on May 10.In this long exposure photo, cars pass by as people look at the night sky towards the northern lights in Estacada, Oregon, on May 10.The northern lights seen over Cumming, Georgia, on May 10.People pose for a photograph with the aurora borealis in Crosby, England, on May 10.The aurora borealis glows over Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 10.The aurora borealis is seen at Crosby Beach in Liverpool, England, on May 10.
