The Northern Lights shone across California skies late Friday night, even as far south as Los Angeles County.
At night, the stunning pink and purple lights in the sky are most visible along Highway 2 in the high desert and Los Angeles National Forest. Some viewers posted their photos on social media.
“I never dreamed that I would see #aurora Here, let alone capturing it with an iPhone. Amazing,” one user wrote on X.
The Northern Lights are usually only seen in the polar regions, but due to an unusually strong solar storm, they will appear across the continental United States this weekend. This dazzling phenomenon, also known as the Northern Lights, is caused by the powerful collision of solar energy with gases in Earth’s atmosphere.
For the first time since January 2005, NOAA released Severe geomagnetic storm watchwarns that concentrated flare energy from the sun could disrupt Earth’s electromagnetic field.
Geomagnetic storms occur when energy from the solar wind is transferred to the electromagnetic field surrounding Earth. Most of these atomic particles are normally deflected, except for those in the polar regions that produce the aurora borealis.
But unusually strong bursts of energy could cause geomagnetic storms large enough to disrupt communications, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration saying there have been “reports of power grid anomalies” and GPS signal outages. The storm also created colorful nighttime scenes in the sky further south.
Those who missed last night’s show may still be able to catch a glimpse – the storm is expected to continue into Sunday. Simply look north.
Times staff writers Corinne Purtill and Jaclyn Cosgrove contributed to this article.
The Northern Lights appeared above Highway 2 in the Los Angeles National Forest on Friday.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove/Los Angeles Times)
