Aurora's seen all across the First Coast in Florida and Georgia Friday night
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a once-in-a-generation event for the First Coast, including Jacksonville, people witnessed a display of the Northern Lights on Friday.
This rare occurrence marked the first time since March of 1989 that residents had the opportunity to view the spectacle of the Aurora Borealis in the northern sky. Dozens of First Coast News weather watchers shared stunning photographs capturing this rare event.
How rare? The last time Jacksonville and the first coast could see the northern lights was March 13, 1989. Prior to that, it was in September of 1941 during the Aurora blitz. The last time we had a storm of this magnitude anywhere on Earth was in October of 2003 during the Halloween Solar Event of that year.
Will we be able to see it again on Saturday?
Possibly, the Space Weather Prediction Center has stated the geomagnetic storm will continue through the weekend with Auroras visible across the United States through Saturday night. It's not 100% for the First Coast but possible.
What caused it?: The display of the Northern Lights was a result of multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emitted by the sun and directed towards Earth on Friday. As these charged particles from the sun collided with the Earth's magnetosphere, they ignited a surge in geomagnetic activity, reaching the highest level recorded for a Geomagnetic storm, classified as a G5. This interaction between solar particles and Earth's magnetic field created the perfect conditions for the Northern Lights to be visible as far south as southern Florida.
Understanding the Northern Lights: The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth's atmosphere, such as oxygen and nitrogen. These collisions emit light in various colors, resulting in the mesmerizing display of vibrant hues dancing across the night sky. The different colors observed, including shades of green, pink, and purple, are determined by the type of gas particles involved in the collision and their altitude in the atmosphere.
Continued Geomagnetic Activity: The geomagnetic storm watch remains in place over the weekend. With clear skies, there is still a possibility of witnessing the Northern Lights once again pushing south over Jacksonville. If the geomagnetic activity persists and the auroras push further south, residents may have the rare opportunity to witness this rare phenomenon for a second time in one weekend, truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.