2024-05-11 23:57:06
Some lucky stargazers in Southern California were treated to an almost unprecedented sight this weekend as the sky turned green, pink and red as the Northern Lights made a rare appearance here — and there could be an encore Saturday night.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that Aurora Borealis will be visible in the contiguous United States from as far south as Alabama to northern California late Friday and early Saturday.
It was enough to send some Southland residents scrambling to local mountaintops in hopes of catching even a diminutive glimpse of the famous phenomenon, which is typically seen in areas of Europe, the North Atlantic, Canada and Alaska.
“Absolutely unprecedented to see this in Southern California,” photographer Mark Girardeau of Orange County Outdoors wrote on Instagram around 1 a.m. Saturday, along with a photo taken near Mountain High in Wrightwood, high in the San Gabriel mountains were taken.
“It’s visible as far south as San Diego and Mexico,” Girardeau added. “It would be visible from Orange County if it weren’t for the clouds.”
Girardeau was joined by other local photographers, including Patrick Coyne of Torrance.
“Last night felt absolutely like a dream. We had the privilege of seeing the northern lights here in Southern California!” Coyne posted, along with a video showing the dazzling display. “The geomagnetic storm had a CP index of 8 and that’s why we saw it down here at Mountain High. The whole sky showed this beautiful red/pink color and you could absolutely see it with your eyes.”
The lights were caused by an unusually strong geomagnetic storm that erupted from a sunspot cluster on the sun.
The NOAA said Saturday that “storms of extreme intensity will continue through at least Sunday” and “several CMEs (coronal mass ejections) are expected to merge and arrive at Earth on May 12.”
The best vantage points to take in the phenomenon are the mountains and deserts, away from the artificial lights of densely populated areas.
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