Spectacular auroras: 1st extreme geomagnetic storm since 2003

Did you see the northern lights this weekend? We witnessed the most extreme geomagnetic storm since 2003.

The morning of Saturday 11th May experienced the 27th strongest solar flare since measurements of the sun began.

This meant that when the coronal mass ejections (CME) collided with the Earth's magnetic field, the charged particles interacted with the gases in our atmosphere, producing the colorful aurora.

There were an unusual array of colors spotted dancing in the sky, up and down in places as far south as Key Largo, Florida, as seen in the selection of photos that were sent into our dedicated uploader. The more common green color indicates a higher concentration of oxygen at lower altitudes, while pinks and purples at higher altitudes were also visible, indicating a greater presence of nitrogen at higher altitudes, but lower oxygen.

Not only did the sun's enhanced activity allow us to see the northern lights, but we very much have the weather to thank for that too. If it weren't for clear skies between 10 pm and 2 am, we wouldn't have stood a chance. The image above from our WeatherRadar shows how much of the United States was cloud-free.

Aurora is best spotted away from light pollution, and the moon was also in our favor as it was in its Waxing Crescent phase, only about 15% illuminated.

If you missed out on the sights, do not worry, with activity set to peak into summer 2025, hopefully, there will be more opportunities.

Check out some more pictures seen in the United Kingdom below!