Nature's light show - Now Habersham

On May 10th we saw an absolutely incredible display of Northern Lights in the south. I thought this would be the only exhibition of its kind this year, they are quite unusual, but boy was I wrong.

I get a notification on my phone every time there is a solar flare or radio burst. This can be a bit annoying at times as the sun is very active on some days and there are lots of small solar flares. However, this past Tuesday I was glad I did. When the sun released the huge X1.8 flare, I immediately got excited. This eruption was aimed at Earth and a geomagnetic storm seemed likely. As a space, science and photography nerd, I was absolutely thrilled by the potential.

As the sun set on Thursday, I knew pretty quickly that it was going to be a great show. Even before it was completely dark, I could see pink and purple in the sky, which was a first for me, so I quickly rushed out of the house. Due to the recent damage caused by Helene, my favorite Aurora spot has been closed due to road damage. So I headed to another favorite stargazing spot on Thunder Hill outside of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

I could see the Northern Lights as soon as I got out of the car. The temperatures were pretty cool in the 40s and there was a breeze, so I bundled up, grabbed the camera and spent the next three hours watching Mother Nature’s light show. The reds, greens and purples were out of this world and rivaled, if not surpassed, the May event. The structure of the columns was almost unbelievable and their brightness impressive. The camera was able to capture more than met the eye and I’m still in disbelief at some of the shots I brought home.

However, I will let them speak for themselves.

The Reds were dominant early on.