For Friday, May 10, 2024, space weather forecasters had predicted a “severe” solar storm. When it came, it was even stronger, at “extreme” levels. Many people saw amazing displays of auroras from places at latitudes as low as Mexico.
The geomagnetic storming was caused by no fewer than five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that left the sun that week. These chunks of sun material struck Earth’s magnetic field, causing the fantastic auroral displays.
At 12:30 a.m., I started moving north, stopping at several other locations to view and photograph these dancing lights. I made it to the Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance and photographed this icon, backlit with a rainbow of colors. I pulled over at a few more locations along the Yellowstone River and finally made it home around 4 a.m.