DENVER (KDVR) — The aurora borealis, aka the northern lights, was visible across much of northern Colorado on Thursday night as a severe geomagnetic storm sent coronal mass ejections toward Earth.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the storm caused a major disruption in the Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in swaths of beautiful colors over U.S. cities.
As predicted, the geomagnetic storm created some light over Colorado on Wednesday night, but the real show was Thursday night due to a Kp and high G-scale levels. The Kp index measures the disturbance of Earth’s magnetic field, and the G-scale is the NOAA’s version of that index.
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A FOX31 viewer from Sugarloaf, in Boulder County, shared this photo of northern lights on Oct. 10, 2024. -
FOX31 viewer Jordyn McKenzie shared these photos of northern lights from Fort Lupton on Oct. 10. -
FOX31 viewer Jordyn McKenzie shared these photos of northern lights from Fort Lupton on Oct. 10. -
FOX31’s Courtney Fromm shared photos of the northern lights from her home in Lone Tree. -
FOX31’s Courtney Fromm shared photos of the northern lights from her home in Lone Tree. -
Aurora borealis in Summit County, Colorado. Credit: Mandi and Garrett Pierce -
Aurora borealis in Summit County, Colorado. Credit: Mandi and Garrett Pierce -
Aurora borealis in Summit County, Colorado. Credit: Mandi and Garrett Pierce -
The aurora borealis as seen from near Limon. Credit: Greg Westfall -
The aurora borealis as seen from near Limon. Credit: Greg Westfall -
The aurora borealis as seen from near Limon. Credit: Greg Westfall
NOAA said different auroral colors come from different atmospheric heights that are activated. For example, the green aurora from oxygen “in the 1S state” typically occurs 80 to 250 miles above the surface of Earth. NOAA said the less common color is a deep red, which is what occurs when atomic oxygen has been excited to the singlet D state. Other colors come from other molecules, like nitrogen.
The most common auroral color is green. “Sunlit” auroras occur near sunrise or sunset, NOAA explained, and can have a purplish color at the top of the rays.
While the northern lights exist nearly all the time, according to NOAA, you might not always have a good view. In fact, the forecast for Friday night has a much lower chance of seeing the lights this far south, as the storm begins to lessen.
This is part of the 11-year solar activity cycle. During the active period of four to five years near solar maximum, you could be more likely to see these types of flares and activity. However, the biggest solar flares tend to occur at the end of the solar maximum period, as solar activity lessens.
Did you capture Thursday’s northern lights over Colorado? Send us your photos: Tips@Kdvr.com.
