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LONG ISLAND, NY — A rare geomagnetic storm this week led to a dazzling display of aurora borealis, or Northern lights, in the night sky — stirring up excitement among those who savored the spectacular experience and took to social media to share their sense of wonder.
Here’s why it happened: Space weather forecasters have issued a severe, G4-level geomagnetic storm watch, only the second of that severity in 20 years, after a strong X-class solar flare and coronal mass ejection that was set to push the aurora borealis from the northern states as far south as Alabama Thursday and Friday.
No matter what the explanation, Long Islanders were in awe: “I can’t believe it,” Albie de Kerillis told Patch. “I have never witnessed anything like this in my lifetime.”
And, said another Patch reader: “It was like artwork in the sky.”
Patch asked readers to send photos, and the jaw-dropping images came pouring in. If you have photos to share, email to Lisa.Finn@patch.com