Red auroras were photographed in several states in the United States after the latest eruption on the Sun. The charged particles expelled by the Sun last week reached Earth today, causing a geomagnetic storm. This storm triggered auroras which extended from the polar regions down south to many U.S. states, a majority of them bordering Canada.
Several eruptions of solar flares coupled with coronal mass ejections (CME) were captured by solar observatories since early October prompting scientists to issue warnings about severe geomagnetic storms. Solar flares are intense bursts of energy which can affect power grids and radio communications on Earth while CMEs are expulsion of charged particles, which when interact with Earth’s atmosphere create auroras.
Many photographers posted pictures of the brilliant red auroras caused as a result of the geomagnetic storm.
UNREAL!!! Unedited iPhone shots from Watertown, South Dakota!! Easily the deepest reds I’ve ever seen in the aurora! Still going!! #aurora pic.twitter.com/zgBJryltcH
— Alex Resel 📸 (@aresel_) October 7, 2024
Aurora from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia at 8pm this evening.
Never seen colors like this on camera. Was briefly visible to the naked eye.
📍Elkton, VA pic.twitter.com/TFdYjX2Svt
— Peter Forister 🍁🍂🍁 (@forecaster25) October 7, 2024
10/06/2024
9:50 PMJust when I lost hope about the clouds ruining the show tonight, the sky suddenly cleared up like magic.#aurora must’ve know my FOMO 🤣 & heard my wishes because the insane red light show took over! What a perfect #northernlights surprise. #solarstorm #CME pic.twitter.com/d0qwZoqDny
— Rj Roldan ™ 🔅 (@rjayroldan) October 7, 2024
EXPLOSION of blood red pillars seen from central North Dakota! Substorm! #NDwx #aurora pic.twitter.com/NIDCQoe7oI
— Kyle J Gillett (@wxkylegillett) October 7, 2024
Beautiful red pillars now in Clarksville, MO! #aurora @Vincent_Ledvina @AuroraNotify @TamithaSkov pic.twitter.com/U1zREcf0Vn
— Steven Walchli (@swalchliwx) October 7, 2024
Naked-eye red aurora visible in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia right now. 8pm pic.twitter.com/Xj47PRgK0E
— Peter Forister 🍁🍂🍁 (@forecaster25) October 7, 2024
“Easily the deepest reds I’ve ever seen in the aurora! Still going!!” posted Alex Resel on X from Watertown, South Dakota.
“Never seen colors like this on camera. Was briefly visible to the naked eye,” said Peter Forister posting a picture of the aurora from Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.
ALSO SEE: Sun Unleashes Strongest Solar Flare In 7 Years Toward Earth, It Could Trigger Widespread Auroras
While many images flooded social media, experts said the aurora activity wasn’t as intense as expected considering the strong solar eruptions that recently occurred. The solar flare eruption on October 3 was the strongest since 2017, said British astrophysicist Ryan French.
Auroral activity continues to fluctuate thanks to some sustained energy in our magnetosphere, but overall the magnetic field structure of the solar storm is starting to wane. With time the aurora will do the same.
Calling it a night because ya girl has to babysit the Sun in the…
— ☀️ Sara Housseal ☀️ (@SNHWx) October 7, 2024
“Auroral activity continues to fluctuate thanks to some sustained energy in our magnetosphere, but overall the magnetic field structure of the solar storm is starting to wane. With time the aurora will do the same,” said space weather forecaster and meteorologist Sara Housseal.
“We have possibly the last large substorm of this #solarstorm causing #aurora to brighten and drop as far south as Missouri, USA! catch the shows while you can, as it looks like the storm might wane for a while after this settles down,” space weather physicist Dr. Tamitha Skov said on X.
The National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) space department, earlier today, warned about a moderate level geomagnetic storm.
ALSO SEE: Geomagnetic Storm Triggers Stunning Auroras After Intense Solar Explosions; Pics Surface
(Image: X/@forecaster25/@aresel_)