A very large sumspot group sent a coronal mass ejection our way that resulted in auroral displays seen over much of the world, on both hemispheres. The auroras were predicted a day or two in advance and the forecasts were widely publicized in the media, so many people went out to look for them.
In Connnecticut there were patchy clouds coming and going during the evening hours, and what you saw seemed to depend greatly on your location. Some people saw a wonderful colorful display and others saw nothing. In Killingworth we had partly clear skies and fairly good views of the aurora from about 9:30 pm to 11:00 pm. At first we only saw broad patches of light with little color. Then the colors became more vivid, and there were rays and columns rising from the northern, western, and eastern horizons.
We saw distinct reds and greens, with a bit of purple at times. As many people found, the camera captured more color and more detail than our eyes could see.
May 10, 2024