An Aurora Borealis Light Show Over Scarsdale

Photo Credit: Elizabeth HoexterThe autumn sky was awash in a spectacular array of colors with a beautiful aurora borealis light show on the night of October 10, 2024. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the rare show of Northern Lights in our area was the result of a geomagnetic storm which they define as, “A major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere.”

Photo Credit: Ralph Geer

While a geomagnetic storm can be blamed for disruptions to things like power grids and radio frequencies, they also can create the circumstances for aurora borealis to be seen far further south than traditional viewing locations like Reykjavik, Iceland. And some lucky Scarsdale residents not only caught the show, but had their cameras ready. See their amazing photos here:

Photo Credit: Wendy O'Neil

Photo Credit: Preeti Kishore

Photo Credit: Wendy MacMillan

Photo Credit: Steven Pisani