A powerful solar storm put on an amazing skyward light show across the globe overnight, with sightings of the Northern Lights as far south as Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, China, England, Spain and elsewhere.
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, glow on the horizon at St. Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the North East coast, England, Friday, May 10, 2024. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Lights were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, London, and the United States and Canada. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is visible over Ann Arbor, Mich., early Saturday, May, 11, 2024. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Lights were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, London, and the United States and Canada. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin)
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, illuminate the night sky over the mountains in Le Col des Mosses pass, Ormont-Dessous, Switzerland, during the early hours of Saturday, May 11, 2024. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Lights were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, London, and the United States and Canada. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
In the U.S., the storm pushed the lights well to the south with the Miami office of the National Weather Service reporting them near Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. People in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and other Midwestern states were able to capture photos of bright colors along the horizon.
The solar storm will persist throughout the weekend, offering another chance for many to catch the Northern Lights on Saturday night. So far it has caused no serious problems with power and communication networks.
The northern lights flare in the sky over a farmhouse, late Friday, May 10, 2024, in Brunswick, Maine. Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Lights were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, London, and the United States and Canada. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)