After a giant sunspot launched a series of solar storms toward Earth, photographers and general onlookers alike were greeted by supercharged aurora lights on Friday night.
The colorful display could be seen across the United States, Canada, and Europe. For many, it was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to see the northern lights.
Here is a roundup of just some of the spectacular photos captured on camera this past weekend.
United States and Canada
Regular PetaPixel contributor Dan Martland was in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock in upstate New York capturing a galaxy of bright colors shining in the sky.
PetaPixel’s very own Jeremy Gray was also in the state of New York, close to Buffalo, capturing the northern lights.
Space photographer extraordinaire Andrew McCarthy traveled to Canada where he shot “thousands of photos” while declaring “aurora chasing may be my new addiction.”
Raghuvamsh Chavali was in southern Ontario to capture the G5 solar storm and tells PetaPixel he had “always wished for a day when everyone in Canada could see the stunning northern lights.”
Europe
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Europe was also being treated to a show with Adam Allen capturing strong colors in Suffolk, England.
Daniel Mennerich captured the aurora borealis from Dortmund, Germany.
When NASA put out a call for photos of the lights, Dr. Kelly Redmond showed off her photos of the aurora above Northern Ireland
The aurora was directly overhead in Northern Ireland, never thought I’d see anything like it! pic.twitter.com/zWUBMt0aBI
— Dr Kelly Redmond (@KellyMRedmond) May 12, 2024
Speaking of NASA, the space agency selected Polish photographer Mariusz Durlej’s stunning image as Astronomy Picture of the Day for his mesmerizing photos taken near Raciborz.
The lights were even visible across India.
Aurora lights witnessed in India 🇮🇳
Aurora lights were seen in Hanle, Ladakh, providing insight on incredible geomagnetic storm
Stable Auroral Red Arcs (SAR arcs) captured from Hanle Dark Sky Reserve, UT Ladakh, on 11.05.24 at 0100 hrs. It is a very rare phenomenon.#IADN pic.twitter.com/ZfYvw22OaV
— News IADN (@NewsIADN) May 11, 2024
NBC News reports that more auroras are being forecast with “severe and extreme” geomagnetic strorms likely meaning the lights could still be around on Monday and Tuesday night. So keep an eye out as there may be photos to capture yet.