The St. Louis region was treated to a rare sighting of the Northern Lights after an extreme solar storm sent energy, light and particles heading towards Earth at high speeds this weekend. According to NASA, the sun released five solar flares over the weekend, all-rated X class, the most intense of the flares. As far south as Alabama, the sky illuminated with pink, purple, blue, green and yellow hues.
The first of the big flares peaked at 1:44 p.m. on Thursday, May 9. The following day, the sun emitted two more massive solar flares. Then two more flares radiated from the sun on Saturday and Sunday.
When particles from the sun are propelled towards Earth, they interact with gasses in the atmosphere, transforming the sky into a kaleidoscope of color. It’s not all beauty, though — solar flares can impact satellites, radio communication and electrical grids.
Despite the potential adverse effects, aurora borealis lovers flooded areas around St. Louis with low light pollution to catch a glimpse of the colors. To the naked eye, the Northern Lights could be seen faintly. Light hues of pink, yellow and green blanketed the night sky as pillars of light shot up towards space.
For photographers, the aurora could be seen in full color. The images below show a timeline of the Northern Lights arriving in the St. Louis region. From 11 p.m. to 11:39 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024, the skies over farm fields in St. Charles transformed into a symphony of color. Scroll down to see it for yourself.
