Canadians and others across the globe were treated to an aurora borealis display Friday night due to a severe geomagnetic storm.
The northern lights were visible across Canada and may be visible again Saturday night. Green, pink, yellow and blue vistas were photographed throughout the night on May 10 and 11.
The northern lights fill the sky at the Bogus Basin ski resort on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (Kyle Green (AP Photo/Kyle Green).
Kyle Green (AP Photo/Kyle Green
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the northern lights, or aurora borealis, are seen near Nanshan scenic spot in Urumqi in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Saturday, May 11, 2024. An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of color in the skies across the Northern Hemisphere early Saturday, with no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications. (Chen Shuo/Xinhua via AP).
The geomagnetic storm is the most severe the Earth has seen in the last 20 years. A notice of it was issued on Thursday after space weather forecasters observed “several moderate to strong” solar flares exploding off the Sun, produced by a massive cluster of sunspots that was about 16 times the diameter of the Earth.
The geomagnetic storm could disrupt some infrastructure, with satellite internet provider Starlink warning of “degraded service” on Saturday. Its owner, Elon Musk, said Saturday that the satellites were under a lot of pressure but were holding up so far.
A person takes a photo of aurora borealis (northern lights) in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, May. 11, 2024. Space Weather Canada warned the public that a “major geomagnetic storm” alert was in effect Friday, which might cause “ionospheric disturbances,” and was expected to continue into early Saturday as a series of strong solar particle releases reach the Earth. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns.
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is visible over Lake Berryessa, Calif., early Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP).
“The biggest thing and most visible manifestation of space weather is the aurora,” said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space forecaster Robert Steenburgh in a Friday news conference.
“If you happen to be in an area where it’s dark and cloud-free and relatively unpolluted by light, you may get to see a fairly impressive aurora display. And that’s really the gift of space weather.”
In this long exposure photograph, a car drives past and illuminates poplars as the northern lights glow in the night sky above the village of Daillens, Switzerland, early Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP).
Aurora borealis or the northern lights are seen in Fredericton, on Saturday, May. 11, 2024. Space Weather Canada warned the public that a “major geomagnetic storm” alert was in effect Friday, which might cause “ionospheric disturbances,” and was expected to continue into early Saturday as a series of strong solar particle releases reach the Earth. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hina Alam.
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is visible over Ann Arbor, Mich., early Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin).
— with files from Global News’ Kathryn Mannie.
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