The Colorado night sky was filled with colorful waves on Friday as the Northern Lights illuminated most of the world, a rare event that occurs once every twenty years or more, according to experts in space weather.
Who saw the aurora borealis last night? Some of our deputies were lucky enough to see the light show while on patrol last night. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. Show us your aurora borealis photos. pic.twitter.com/QMB3IEmJtt
— BoulderCountySheriff (@BldrCOSheriff) May 11, 2024
Mike Bettwy, the operations chief for the Space Weather Prediction Center, mentioned that reports of the aurora were received all the way down to south Florida and Puerto Rico. He explained that the aurora was quite widespread across much of the globe, something that only happens every 20 to 25 years.
A There was a solar outburst and a severe geomagnetic storm. The aurora borealis was intensified by Bettwy.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch, the second highest on the scale, for the first time since January 2005. This is the first time since January 2005 that the Space Weather officials warned of a severe G4 geomagnetic storm. This occurred on Thursday.
One perk of working the graveyard shift? Catching the #NorthernLights here in Wheat Ridge 🤩 pic.twitter.com/5xgVA0EAyQ
— Wheat Ridge Police (@WheatRidgePD) May 11, 2024
Space weather officials stated that there were at least five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — bursts of plasma and other sun material — heading to Earth this weekend. They explained that the fastest CMEs can reach Earth from the Sun in 15 to 18 hours, while slower CMEs can take several days to arrive. According to space weather officials, as the CMEs travel through Earth’s atmosphere, they enhance aurora activity..
Bettwy stated that the CMEs that arrived Friday afternoon and caused the unusually bright light show on Friday night are now moving out of the atmosphere.
He mentioned that this puts them in a bit of a lull, and although some aurora will be visible on Saturday, it won't be as intense as what was seen on Friday night.
From Castle Rock #AuroraBorealis #cowx pic.twitter.com/dkxk0s4VHy
— Brian Force (@ColorfulCOAg) May 11, 2024
Bettwy explained that this means Saturday will be the least exciting day of the weekend, but the bright and intense Northern Lights seen on Friday will return on Sunday.
Additional solar flares and CMEs ejected from the sun on Saturday morning and late Friday night will arrive in Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday afternoon, intensifying the geomagnetic storm and bringing back the Northern Lights to the vividness of Friday and extending its reach to Sunday night.
Bettwy mentioned that after Sunday, the storm will calm down, but there is a possibility of relatively stormy conditions on Monday and Tuesday, so seeing the lights on Monday night is not ruled out.
There have been many times I’ve stood in awe under the sky on the PNG and last night was no exception. Absolutely breathtaking!#noco #weldcountymagic @usfsarp #Auroraborealis #NorthernLights #colorado pic.twitter.com/hOS3GgxWkM
— Jennifer Finch (@j3nf1nch) May 11, 2024
Bettwy shared a tip for people who can't see the aurora, suggesting they take a couple of photos with their phone to possibly capture the aurora, as phone cameras process the infrared wavelength of the lights better than our eyes do.
Unfortunately, clear skies to see the lights depend on the unpredictable Colorado weather.
According to National Weather Service forecasters, scattered rain showers, thunderstorms, and cloudy conditions might obstruct the view of the aurora borealis on Saturday and Sunday. Those hoping to see the next wave of lights might have better luck near the Colorado-Wyoming border.Sign up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter to get more Colorado news.
I never thought I’d be able to see the northern lights from Colorado pic.twitter.com/W5EB4TIhER
— charles (@spacecowbutch) May 11, 2024
The night skies of Colorado were filled with colorful waves on Friday night as the Northern Lights illuminated most of the world, a rare event that occurs once every twenty years or more, according to experts in space weather.
