Lucky sky watchers were able to catch a rare glimpse of the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, over the Central Valley this past weekend.
The photo above was captured just before midnight Friday, May 10, on Milnes Road just east of Modesto.
A historic geomagnetic storm, the strongest recorded in more than 20 years, caused solar flares which made the phenomenon visible much further south than normal late Friday night and into the wee morning hours Saturday.
The lights cast a pinkish, purple haze over the Central Valley sky which was barely visible to the naked eye.
But those using a camera, or even a phone camera, were able to capture more of the light spectrum’s brilliant display.
The Northern Lights were reported across the United States late Friday early Saturday, with photos showing the signature pillars in magnificent colors.
Reports came from as far south in state as San Diego, and coast to coast from Florida to Indiana to Arizona and in Europe.
The solar storms continued throughout the weekend into early Monday morning, but failed to produce auroras that were as visible as far south across the country. The lights can typically only be regularly seen near the Arctic Circle.
