A severe geomagnetic storm swept across the Earth on Thursday night, triggering breathtaking Northern Lights displays in parts of the United States and across the globe. Typically seen only in polar regions, the Aurora Borealis dazzled observers as far south as Texas, painting skies in magenta, green, and purple hues.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) classified the storm as a G4, or 4 out of 5 on the geomagnetic storm scale, allowing the auroras to be seen much further south than usual. This rare event was visible in numerous states, including San Antonio, Texas, where the skies glowed faintly behind an observation tower in New Braunfels—an unexpected sight for the region.
In West Texas, the National Weather Service in Lubbock shared stunning images of the aurora over a quiet highway, with brilliant purple and pink hues illuminating the night. “WOW! The Aurora Borealis is putting on quite the show across West Texas tonight,” the weather service tweeted.
🔭📷 WOW! The Aurora Borealis is putting on quite the show across West Texas tonight. Check out these photos taken by some of our staff a few miles NW of Lubbock the evening. For more info on the #aurora, visit our friends at @NWSSWPC. Can you see the aurora where you are? #txwx pic.twitter.com/bQ5tWDiDMU
— NWS Lubbock (@NWSLubbock) October 11, 2024
Further north, New Yorkers were treated to an unusual spectacle, as the aurora appeared over the densely populated borough of Queens. The vivid colors could be seen even against the backdrop of the city lights.
The phenomenon was not limited to the United States. Across the Atlantic, skies over England burst into red and green, with a particularly striking display captured behind a windmill in Buckinghamshire. In Scotland, the “Kissing Trees” in Kinghorn were bathed in an array of colors early on Friday morning, while photographers gathered in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, to capture the auroras over the park’s silhouette.
Around the globe, the aurora borealis continued to dazzle. The Northern Lights appeared over the Great Wall in China’s Hebei Province, and a glowing red sky lit up over Kyiv, Ukraine. Auroras even made their appearance in the Southern Hemisphere, where the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, were captured over Fish Creek near Melbourne, Australia.
As solar activity continues, scientists predict auroras could stretch as far south as northern California and Alabama over the next few days. This rare spectacle has thrilled photographers and skywatchers alike, offering a vibrant display of nature’s power.
Images from Around the World
Lubbock, Texas
Image Credits – NWS Lubbock
Queens, New York
Image Credits – NWS Lubbock
Alberta, Canada
Image Credits – Paul Crock/AFP via Getty Images
Buckinghamshire, England
Image Credits – Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP
Kinghorn, Scotland
Image Credits – Jim Dyson/Getty Images
Kyiv, Ukraine
Image Credits – Liu Shuangxi / VCG via Getty Images
Brandenburg, Germany
Image Credits – Gleb Garanich / Reuters
This solar storm has brought an unforgettable display of the Northern and Southern Lights, a reminder of the stunning natural phenomena that can occur when conditions in space align perfectly.