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The sun is in a spirited mood and aurora watchers on Earth are basking in the glow. Our nearest star has been spitting out flares and sending solar material careening toward our planet where it’s creating some of the brightest and widest-reaching auroras in years. Thursday night was a particularly wild show, with the northern lights stretching deep down into the US.
We’ve rounded up aurora views from across the country and even up in space. Enjoy the swirling, colorful lights and keep an eye on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center for aurora forecasts. The sun will remain active, giving skywatchers more opportunities to catch the northern lights.
International Space Station
NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared this view of the aurora from the International Space Station.
One of the most awe-inspiring views of the aurora came from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a snapshot on X showing parts of the ISS in the foreground with a blazing green and red aurora dancing over Earth below.
“Stunning was the word,” Pettit wrote. “It looked like the space station had been shrunk to some miniature dimension and inserted into a neon sign. We were not flying above the aurora; we were flying in the aurora. And it was blood red.” Pettit use a Nikon Z9 for the shot.
Virginia
CNET’s James Bricknell snapped a purple glow from Virginia.
CNET’s James Bricknell used the astrophotography setting on a Google Pixel Fold to capture a glowing purple aurora from the northern reaches of Virginia.
Kansas
This was the aurora view from Kansas.
CNET’s Chris Wedel witnessed the shifting red and green colors of the aurora from Lyon County, Kansas. This image is from a Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold using the Night Sight setting.
Another view from Kansas gives a perspective with trees in the foreground.
Kari Wedel used a handheld Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 with the auto night mode setting to get this view of the aurora along with the green leaves of the trees in the foreground.
South Carolina
CNET’s Erica Devaney spotted the northern lights from South Carolina.
The aurora lit up the sky in Tega Cay, South Carolina, creating a rosy glow over the water. CNET’s Erica Devaney used an iPhone 15 Pro for this view.
Albuquerque, NM
Photographer Virginia Thompson captured this blush of aurora from New Mexico.
The aurora stretched far to the south on Thursday. This blush-like aurora glow was seen from Albuquerque, New Mexico with a scrubby desert landscape below. Virginia Thompson captured the view with a Moto G Power phone.
