The night of May 11, 2024 was one for the books. One of the strongest train of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) events hit the magnetosphere of the Earth, repeatedly plucking the planet's magnetic field like guitar strings. This resulting release of energy led to one of the strongest and longest shows, with the aurora visible all the way down to the low latitudes.
Out in the Pacific Northwest, we were blessed to have it coincide with excellent viewing conditions. As dusk turned to twilight, the anticipation in the crowd gathered around grew. Soon, the faint glow became visible above us, a green band extending east to west. The glow was still dim thanks to the moonlight. But once the moon set, the substorms started hitting, and all the graphs started spiking. And the sky glowed with the brilliance of the lights.
Curtains of light twirled above the horizon. But up above, the aurora danced like a vortex of celestial energy, ribbons of light unfurling in the cold night sky. The ribbons pulsed and weaved, forming and reforming a thousand different shapes with every sub-storm that day
I will never forget the exhilaration I felt in that moment. I hope these memories will last a lifetime.
Baker Lake
WA USA