GEOMAGNETIC STORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY: Earth's magnetic field is reverberating from three potent CME strikes in past 48 hours. This is causing geomagnetic storms and widespread auroras. Currently, storm levels are bouncing between category G1 (Minor) and G3 (Strong) as solar wind blows around Earth faster than 700 km/s. NOAA forecasters say there is also a lingering chance of severe G4-class storms on Nov. 13th. Get your aurora alerts here.
AURORAS IN UNUSUAL PLACES: Most photos of Northern Lights have things like igloos and Arctic reindeer in the foreground. On Nov. 11th, the scenery changed to palm trees, Saguaro cacti and tropical beaches. Here is a sampling of photos from the severe geomagnetic storm of Veterans Day 2025:
Photo credits: Terri Cockerham (FL), Scott Tucker (AZ), Rene Saade (El Salvador)
Clockwise from the top, we have auroras in New Port Richie, Florida (latitude +28N); Tucson, Arizona (+32N); and Usulutan, El Salvador (+13N). All were visible with the naked eye. These are very low latitudes for such a display.
"I went to the beach looking for bioluminescence," says Rene Saade, who took the picture in El Salvador. "After I photographed the glowing plankton, the sky turned pink. It was an amazing night!
Almost all of North America witnessed the light show, which stretched from inside the Arctic Circle to the doorstep of the equator. Auroras were seen in all 50 US states, including Hawaii.
The storm was caused by two CMEs, which struck Earth in quick succession during the late hours of Nov. 11th. The CMEs were crowded so close together, they had the characteristics of a Cannibal CME--that is, strong internal magnetic fields and shock waves capable of sparking intense geomagnetic activity.
Did you miss the show? Next time get a wake-up call from Space Weather Alerts.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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THE NORTHERN LIGHTS PENDANT FROM SPACE: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider the Northern Lights Pendant. Here it is, hitching a ride to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $129.95. Featuring tall Norwegian Spruce trees silhouetted by blue-green auroras, the pendant makes an otherworldly birthday or anniversary gift.
The students are selling space pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the ornament in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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