The most spectacular auroral storm in over two decades swept over Earth last weekend — and our readers were there to capture it.
A wall of magenta aurora appears over the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall of China, northeast of Beijing. The imager used a Nikon D850 DLSR and 14–24mm lens at 24mm and f/2.8 to take a 5-second exposure at ISO 4000. Credit: Cao Yifan
The geomagnetic storm that struck Earth on May 10 was the strongest in 21 years — exceeding forecasts and bringing the spectacle of the aurora borealis south (and the aurora australis north) to millions of people who had the chance to see it for the first time.
A lot has changed since 2003, the last time Earth experienced a solar storm as strong as this one. One profound difference is that most of us now walk around with cameras in our pockets good enough to take pictures of aurorae. For the first time in human history, we were all able to see, capture, and share our views of this natural wonder in real time.
Astronomy readers sent us photos from all around the world — and here are some of our favorites.
Rob Lyons, taken from Vancouver, Canada. This image is a still from a timelapse video shot with a Sony A7R mirrorless camera and a Sigma 14mm f/1.4 lens.Gianni Tumino, taken from Chiaramonte Gulfi, Sicily, Italy. Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera and 15–35mm zoom lens at f/3.5, taking 129 ten-second exposures at ISO 6400.Katelyn Beecroft, taken from just outside of London, Ontario, Canada. Canon Rebel T6i DSLR, Rokinon 14mm lens at f/2.8, ISO 800, 10-second exposure. Chirag Upreti, taken from Ashokan Reservoir in New York. Sony a7R III mirrorless camera, Sigma 14–24mm lens at 14mm and f/2.8; single 10-second exposure at ISO 800.Chirag Upreti, taken from Ashokan Reservoir in New York. Sony a7 III mirrorless camera (astromodified) and 12–24mm lens at 12mm and f/4, ISO 1000, 15-second exposure.John Chumack, taken from Yellow Springs, Ohio. Canon EOS 6D DSLR, 16mm lens at f/2.8, ISO 800, 10-second exposure.Stephen Dorn, taken from southwest New Mexico. Sony a7R III, Sigma Art 24mm lens at f/1.4, ISO 1600, 10-second exposure. In addition to the aurora filling the frame, this image also captures meteor streaks on the right side of the image.
This storm was powerful enough to give many viewers the experience of a coronal aurorae. Standing directly underneath an aurora causes it to appear to radiate from a single point as charged particles from space rain down on Earth’s atmosphere. Credit: Tania Wood from Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Philippe Moussette, taken from Petit lac à l’Épaule, Quebec, Canada. Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera and 8–15mm fisheye lens.Chris Cook, taken from Mount Wilson overlooking Los Angeles (34° north latitude). Canon EOS 6D Mk II DSLR, Tamron 15–30mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 15-second exposure.Chris Cook, taken from Mount Wilson overlooking Los Angeles (34° north latitude). Canon EOS 6D Mk II DSLR, Tamron 15–30mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 15-second exposure.Abhijit Patil, taken from Death Valley National Park, California. Nikon Z 6II mirrorless camera (astromodified) and 14–24mm lens at 14mm and f/2.8, ISO 2000, 10-second exposure.Abhijit Patil, taken from Death Valley National Park, California. Nikon Z 6II mirrorless camera (astromodified) and 14–24mm lens at 14mm and f/2.8, 10-second sky exposure at ISO 2000 and 30-second foreground exposure at ISO 3200.Hossein Nasri, taken from the Seh Qaleh Desert in South Khorasan, Iran (33° north latitude). Canon EOS 6D DLSR and 24–70mm lens at 24mm and f/3.2, ISO 3200, panorama of six 30-second exposures.René Saade, taken from Chirimoyos (23.4° north latitude), near Mazatlán, Mexico, on May 11, 2 A.M. local time. Sony a7S II mirrorless camera and Sigma Art 35mm lens at f/1.4, ISO 3200, panorama of three stacks of five 8-second exposures.
