That was INCREDIBLE!
When talk began about a geomagnetic storm, I started to get excited about possibly capturing the aurora borealis over Marblehead once more. Then when the storm grew in intensity before sunset, I held out hope it might continue for a few more hours.
I started off at Cove Lane but realized very quickly that the so-called Northern Lights were far more to the east than I had expected. I quickly walked over to Chandler Hovey Park and set up for this composition with Marblehead light in the center of the frame and angled the camera up (with my widest lens) to take in the night sky.
With the naked eye (once adjusted to the dark), the green tendrils looked white but I could just make out some slight red/purple. The camera with ten second exposures was able to take it all in.
All images captured between 9:45 and 10:45 pm on Friday, May 10, 2024. I used a Sony dSLR with a 16mm lens at f/4 (widest aperture) and ISO 400 with shutter speeds of 8-10 seconds. If you want to check forecasts for solar storms, check the NOAA website and keep an eye out for G5 storms and/or a Kp of 8 or higher (all of these were captured during a Kp of 8.33)
A strong geomagnetic creates a green glow over Marblehead Light at Chandler Hovey Park
The Northern Lights take shape over Marblehead light with green, purple and red as a strong G5 storm hits Earth’s atmosphere
Green and purple light erupts as the aurora borealis shines above Marblehead Light
A solar storm above Chandler Hovey Park creates a mix of green, red and purple light in the evening sky