Latest news with #skywatchers
Forbes
2 days ago
- Climate
- Forbes
In Photos: June's ‘Great Aurora' Stuns Skywatchers Around The World
The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here looking straight up in a 360° panorama, with the ... More horizon all around and the zenith at centre. This records the entire sky during the peak of the substorm at about 1:30 am with the curtains lighting up with a range of colours blending together. A rare and powerful geomagnetic storm dazzled skywatchers across the globe last weekend, with the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) and Southern Lights (aurora australis) visible far from polar regions, with images of multi-colored curtains, coronas and rays across social media. People look at Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the horizon over ... More Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The spectacular event was triggered by a massive coronal mass ejection — a cloud of charged particles hurled into space from the sun — lit up skies in Canada, the U.S., Europe, New Zealand and beyond for over 60 hours between Saturday, May 31 to Tuesday, June 3, 2025. A man takes visuals of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the ... More horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The spectacular event was triggered by a massive coronal mass ejection — a cloud of charged particles hurled into space from the sun — lit up skies in Canada, the U.S., Europe, New Zealand and beyond for over 60 hours between Saturday, May 31 to Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, in a ~240° panorama from northeast at left, to ... More northwest at right, taken as a substorm was hitting, and the sky was lighting up with bright and colourful curtains. Here the curtains had moved mostly to the south, at centre here, after an initial appearance at the start of the night as a diffuse band across the north. However, moments after this as the substorm peaked, the sky filled with aurora, captured in an all-sky circular panorama. As Earth approaches the solstice on June 21, typical locations in the Northern Hemisphere where the aurora oval hangs over — such as polar latitudes near 70 degrees North — currently have no hours of darkness. That makes the U.S. currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here with a burst of red appearing for a brief time amid ... More the curtains to the east as a substorm hit boosting the brightness and colours. On this night the Kp index peaked at Kp8, unusually high. However, to the eye the aurora still remained dimmer and colourless, except for moments like this when some reds did show up to the eye. Technical: A single 5-second exposure with the Viltrox 16mm lens at f/1.8 on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 400. A long-lasting G4 geomagnetic storm, it was one of the most vivid displays of aurora in Solar Cycle 25, which is currently in its solar maximum period. The sun has an 11-14-year cycle during which its magnetic activity waxes and wanes. It wasn't, however, as powerful as the G5 geomagnetic storm last weekend that saw aurora seen from as far south as California. A man takes visuals of Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, as it glows on the ... More horizon over Lake Ellesmere in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch on June 1, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP) (Photo by SANKA VIDANAGAMA/AFP via Getty Images) The long display was initially triggered by a powerful M8.2-class solar flare on May 31, which launched a fast-moving 'halo CME' — an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection. It began interacting with Earth's magnetosphere early on June 1, triggering a G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm, with the Kp index peaking at 8 — high enough to expand the auroral oval well into mid- and low-latitude regions. The great aurora of May 31/June 1, 2025, here with particularly colourful curtains to the east as a ... More substorm hit boosting the brightness and colours. On this night the Kp index peaked at Kp8, unusually high. However, to the eye the aurora still remained dimmer and colourless, except for moments like this when some reds did show up to the eye. This is a wide-angle lens framing from the horizon to near the zenith at top. Technical: A single 5-second exposure with the Viltrox 16mm lens at f/1.8 on the Nikon Z6III at ISO 800. In the U.S., aurora was seen as far south as southern Nebraska, Missouri, and even parts of New Mexico. States including Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts also witnessed views of the aurora. According to auroras were captured on the Gulf Coast at latitude 30 degrees North — a very rare event that reflects the storm's exceptional intensity. This photo taken on June 1, 2025 shows the aurora seen at the outskirts of Canberra, Australia. ... More (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua via Getty Images) Outside North America, both aurora borealis and aurora australis were seen in abundance. Canada experienced sky-filling displays, while colorful Southern Lights were seen from southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. The geomagnetic storm began to wane on June 2, but minor (G1) to strong (G3) storms persisted into June 3, keeping high-latitude skywatchers on alert. The Aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, is seen at Cleveland Dam Park on June ... More 03, 2025 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by) The Northern Lights are a result of the solar wind, which consists of charged particles emitted by the sun that interact with Earth's magnetic field. While much of this solar wind is deflected by the magnetic field, some charged particles travel along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions where they enter. These particles collide with and excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms, causing them to release energy as light. This photo taken on June 1, 2025 shows a view of aurora and a dashing meteor in Jixian County of ... More Shuangyashan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo by Han Yang/Xinhua via Getty Images) Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northern lights may be visible in Northern California amid severe geomagnetic storm
( — Sky watchers may be in for a treat as a severe geomagnetic storm is expected to trigger a colorful aurora in Northern California over the next few days. Aurora borealis, also known as northern lights, is caused by severe geomagnetic or solar storms. The last time the region experienced a solar storm strong enough to light up the night skies was in May of 2024. A measuring system called a 'G rating' is used to identify a solar storm's intensity. Storms are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. California residents capture views of the northern lights Last year's storm was rated as a G4. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a current storm reached G4 levels Sunday afternoon and may last through Tuesday morning. Because of this, skylines across the U.S., including those in Northern California, have a high probability of soon being adorned with pink, purple, green, and blueish-colored lights. Such strong solar conditions have been known to bring northern lights to the skies throughout the U.S. As of 3:20 p.m., two areas have a very high probability of seeing them: Alaska and Canada, according to the Aurora Viewline Forecast on However, if the solar storm remains at G4 levels, Northern California and dozens of other states could get a glimpse of them. The best way to view the northern lights is during the late night or early morning hours, and away from city lights. If visibility with the naked eye is difficult, experts recommend using a cell phone camera. Night mode on a cell device may also help enhance the view of the northern lights. In the past, the best time for viewing has been between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. For real-time updates on the geomagnetic storm and the 'Aurora Viewline Forecast,' visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gizmodo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Strange, Dazzling White Streak Photobombs Rare Auroras Over the U.S.
A surprise solar storm also came with a baffling phenomenon that left people in the inland U.S. scratching their heads. On the night of Saturday, May 17, skywatchers in parts of the U.S. were treated to a dazzling display of auroras from a surprise geomagnetic storm. But then observers spotted something very weird. A mysterious white streak cut clean across the night sky, leaving many wondering: what the heck was that? On Sunday evening, the skies over Colorado and states farther south lit up with bands of green, blue, and red auroras. The storm was a result of solar flares and a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a massive bubble of coronal plasma and magnetic field ejected from the Sun—that occurred about four days earlier. The CME was initially expected to miss Earth, but a portion of it dealt a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field, triggering a geomagnetic storm. But the real weirdness started at around 11:30 p.m. MT on May 17, when a bright white streak lit up the sky. Naturally, people took to social media for answers. Many observers initially thought it might be a strange form of STEVE, a unique band of purple and green light that often appears near auroras. STEVE is also caused by space weather events. Photographer Mike Lewinski captured long-exposure shots of the whole thing unfolding over the skies of Crestone, Colorado. 'The aurora was rippling low on the northern horizon when suddenly a bright streak of light, reminiscent of a rocket re-entry, appeared high in the sky and flowed down to the horizon,' Lewinski told The strange event was not STEVE after all, but a recent rocket launch. reported that roughly an hour before the mysterious white streak appeared across the southwestern U.S., the Chinese company Landscape launched its Zhuque-2E methane-fueled rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. The rocket was shuttling six satellites into orbit, and the white streak may have occurred as the rocket prepared for reentry. On X, astronomer Jonathan McDowell wrote that the odd event was likely the result of the rocket's upper stage passing over the U.S. He elaborated that the white streak may have been caused by a fuel dump at an altitude of 155 miles (250 kilometers) as the rocket passed over the Four Corners region. It's not the first time rocket launches have left skywatchers puzzled. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets have created dizzying spiral patterns across the night sky. So we're likely in for more mysterious sky phenomena.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northern lights dazzled Ozarks one year ago today
One year ago today, the skies over the Ozarks lit up with a rare and breathtaking display of the Northern Lights. For one unforgettable night, we were treated to shimmering bands of green, pink, and purple dancing across the horizon — a spectacle typically reserved for much higher latitudes. You can check out our full gallery of images here! The unexpected aurora was the result of a strong geomagnetic storm sparked by a powerful solar flare, sending energized particles deep into Earth's atmosphere. The conditions were just right for the auroras to dip as far south as Arkansas and Missouri, offering skywatchers in the Ozarks a front-row seat to one of nature's most awe-inspiring phenomena. It was a reminder of the rare magic the skies can bring, and a moment of wonder that won't soon be forgotten. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Utterly disappointed': Eta Aquarids meteor shower fizzles over Singapore
Lianhe Zaobao photojournalist Jason Lee said he saw only one meteor over 3½ hours. SINGAPORE – Hopes for a celestial spectacle were running high, but skywatchers across Singapore were left largely disappointed during the peak of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower in the early hours of May 6 and 7, with several reporting spotting just one meteor over a number of hours. This particular meteor shower occurs annually when the Earth passes through debris left behind by Halley's Comet – arguably the most famous comet in history, known for being visible with the naked eye roughly every 76 years. The meteor shower is typically more visible in the Southern Hemisphere, where observers may catch up to 50 meteors an hour under ideal conditions. In Singapore, however, clear skies offered little payoff. In the early hours of May 6, Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao photojournalist Jason Lee, who was on assignment at Champions Green – a housing estate near Singapore Sports School in Woodlands – said he saw only one meteor over 3½ hours. Speaking with The Straits Times, the photojournalist said: 'It didn't feel worth the wait.' He added that the meteor 'looked quite different from what one would normally expect a meteor to be'. A netizen, who goes by 'Mycandidphotoshot Gates' on Facebook, said in a post that he had tried his luck at one of the least illuminated areas in Singapore – Changi Beach Park – in the early hours of May 6. 'Skies were mostly clear. I spotted one meteor with a light trail that lasted about two seconds while setting up my camera,' he wrote. 'I was stoked and thought more would follow. I was wrong.' He added that he spent the next four hours scanning the sky in vain, even double-checking the coordinates. 'It was supposed to be more active in the south-east. Utterly disappointed,' he said. In response to previous queries regarding visibility of cosmic events from Singapore, the Science Centre Singapore observatory said that light pollution, erratic weather and frequent cloud cover can all impact the chances of observing cosmic events from the island. 'Meteor showers are relatively faint, and dark, clear skies are required to view them,' the observatory added, noting that visibility also depends on the nature of the specific cosmic event. Meanwhile, overseas enthusiasts had better luck. Social media was filled with vivid photos and videos from countries with darker skies and better visibility, showing bright streaks lighting up the early morning heavens. The Eta Aquarids will continue until late May, but given the poor visibility even during its peak, further sightings in Singapore are unlikely. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
