Wow, oh WOW!
Aurora lit up the D.C.-area sky Thursday night, just as predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center and relayed in my previous story. The event did achieve the G3 (Strong) and G4 (Severe) levels to produce amazing and worldwide aurora. The geomagnetic storm almost reached the G5 (Extreme) level, but not quite.
Getting to G5, the highest level, really didn’t matter, as the aurora started to appear as soon as it got dark. Veteran and rookie aurora chasers throughout the region shared with WTOP and on social media their reactions and wonderful images.
What was amazing to me was that the Aurora could be seen visually at times and easily imaged with any camera, including smartphones. Even downtown D.C. and Fairfax County chasers posted images showing the northern lights easily winning against the city lights of the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere.
My own viewing experience in Greene County, Virginia, near Shenandoah National Park — a preferred site for aurora chasers — was simply delightful, as a variety of aurora configurations were visible. Red and green patches, curtains and, most jaw dropping, a stable auroral red arc almost right overhead!
I saw and captured my first SAR arc last year at Shenandoah. This time, the arc was almost directly overhead and spanned the entire sky from the northwest to the southeast. I was so excited, good thing no one else was around.
The bad news is that if you missed this auroral sky show, it is most likely over for now, as the Space Weather Prediction Center forecast shows geomagnetic levels are at G1 (Minor) or very minimal the next couple days.
The good news is that the sun is nearing solar maximum for solar cycle 25 and is expected to keep producing solar events that lead to geomagnetic storms that lead to aurora!
But no need to fret if you’re still bummed about missing the northern lights Thursday night. There might be a comet sighting over the weekend!
Oh, and be sure to read my story on the comet that we hope to see this weekend.
Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, X and his daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
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