May 10, 2024
On the night of May 10th the sun erupted a very bright solar flare creating the most intense geomagnetic storm in over two decades. The Night sky was lit up with magnificent auroral displays which appeared in northern hemisphere as far south as Georgia.
The Northern Lights has definitely wowed millions of people and to photographers it was a moment of unbridled exuberance. For many it was a first time viewing the northern lights. Count me among them—I was absolutely ecstatic. The aurora reached its peak intensity well past midnight, and for a brief moment, it graced the sky directly overhead, akin to what you typically see in the arctic regions. The colors vary with altitude, painting the sky in shades of red and pink during the peak. To the eyes, it appeared as vibrant streak of lights but one could see subtle hints of red and pink in the night sky. It was incredible to watch the dance of the Earth – Sun romance.
A little background on why this happened – The occurrence was triggered by the sun reaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, when the sun’s magnetic field is most active and highest number of sunspots are likely to appear. This happens during the Solar Maximum phase. During this time, the sun’s corona becomes supercharged, leading to significant plasma outbursts known as ‘prominences’. You may have seen this in my last solar eclipse post. These prominences erupt and travel outward. When this event is accompanied by the burst of charged particles called a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) they can trigger solar flares.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation that can erupt from the sun surface. If the flare is accompanied by a CME, a geomagnetic storm can hit Earth a few days later. They interfere with Earth’s magnetosphere causing the spectacular display of northern lights.
August 12, 2024
Another unforgettable night! The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most breathtaking and well-loved celestial events of the year. It typically reaches its peak between August 12th and 14th, when Earth moves through the densest part of the debris trail left by the comet Swift-Tuttle.
I captured this shot of a Perseid meteor streaking through the clouds at Brasstown Bald Observatory in Georgia on the night of August 12th. The Perseids put on a spectacular show, but what made the night truly unforgettable was an unexpected geomagnetic storm that lit up the northern sky with a dazzling display of colorful auroras. Despite the partially cloudy skies, the crowd erupted in awe with each meteor that crossed the sky, and the aurora kept us all mesmerized until dawn. I was surprised to see so many people interested in stargazing—Brasstown Bald was packed that night.
The Northern Lights, visible as far south as Georgia, coincided with the Perseid meteor shower reaching its peak with up to 90-100 per hour. It was an incredible opportunity to record this event. Perseid Meteors rained through the sky in a blazing display of celestial fireworks, leaving dust trails from the comet Swift-Tuttle. Mars was bright that evening and you can also see Jupiter in close conjunction just above the horizon. Pleides cluster, or the seven sister stars as they call it in Greek, was glowing as the aurora borealis beamed through the north eastern sky.
The Perseid meteor shower had been active since mid-July, but the night of August 12th was truly exceptional.
The night sky is always an amazing sight and it’s even more exciting when you can locate the stars or catch the glimpse of Meteors striking across the sky. Here in southern US, the conditions for perfect weather conditions are always a rarity. Amidst the bad weather forecast, you still summit the tallest mountain to watch the stars, because from above, they feel so much closer. Thankfully, the weather gods were merciful this time. As the clouds cleared, the meteors rained down at the pace of starlight song. One after the other and some crisscrossing the other. I stood there in awe watching the panorama of universe unfolding before my eyes. I was fortunate to witness yet another celestial wonder where the comet debris plowed through the Earth’s atmosphere in a dazzling display of fiery streaks.
Timelapse video of Perseid Meteor Shower and aurora display over Brasstown Bald, Georgia.
