During the second week of May, residents of the East Coast received a rare treat: a glimpse of aurora borealis, typically only seen in remote Northern areas of the world, in their backyards. 

The rare phenomenon, also known as the Northern Lights, occurs when “particles are deflected towards the poles of Earth by our planet’s magnetic field and interact with our atmosphere, depositing energy and causing the atmosphere to fluoresce,” according to Billy Teets, the director of Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University (SPACE.com). 

This time, the solar event was caused by an “unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth” (Associated Press). In fact, the solar storm was so strong that the National Weather Service issued a geomagnetic storm watch, the first in almost two decades (CBS). 

Some lucky New Jereseyans were able to spot the phenomenon throughout the week. However, for many of us in Essex County, it was hard to spot the lights due to cloudy weather. Either way, the arrival of this rare phenomenon was a welcome one in New Jersey!

Below is a photo of the rare solar event taken by a New Jersey resident:

Courtesy of Dennis Symons