Northern lights visible last night over Mount Washington in stunning display from geomagnetic storm
The northern lights were visible last night and created a dazzling show over parts of New England. The aurora could be seen clearly from the summit of Mount Washington during what's been a days-long solar storm.
"The northern lights put on another beautiful display at the summit last night, thanks to a strong geomagnetic storm and little to no clouds around the summit," the Mount Washington Observatory wrote in a social media post.
The region has been on notice for a potential northern lights show since May 30, when a coronal mass ejection erupted from the sun and the Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm watch. It was predicted that the aurora could be seen over the northern half of the United States and even potentially as far south as Alabama.
There hadn't been much to see in the northeast until Monday night. WBZ-TV chief meteorologist Eric Fisher noted that there was a "nice burst of aurora" that scored a 6 on the KP index, which is used to measure the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. Colors were visible after 11 p.m. from a live camera at Mount Katahdin in northern Maine.
Will the northern lights be visible tonight?
According to , the G4 geomagnetic storm has subsided, but lesser storms are still underway and those in northern latitudes should "remain alert for auroras."
While widespread sightings of the northern lights in New England are unlikely, there's still a small chance that areas well to the north could see some activity.
What makes the northern lights visible?
The northern lights appear in the sky when the electrons ejected by the sun collide with various molecules in Earth's atmosphere. The colors we see depend on the height and type of molecules that are hit.
An active solar cycle has made the northern lights more visible than usual in the past year. An expert told WBZ-TV that the ramped-up activity could continue into 2026.
