Northern Lights Over Austria Missed? Here Are Pictures

Bright Northern Lights were visible over Austria on the night of Wednesday. Between 4:00 and 5:00 AM, they were "very striking, even though the high-standing moon significantly illuminated the landscape," reported Michael Jäger from the Astronomical Center Martinsberg (AZM) to the APA. "The sky over the northern horizon glowed at times reddish to turquoise. Again and again, beams appeared in the sky, but they quickly dissolved," said Jäger.

Geosphere Austria had already announced on Tuesday that two solar storms were currently on their way to Earth, with the first storm expected to arrive on Tuesday around 9:00 PM, while the second storm was expected on Wednesday around 3:30 AM. Based on previous experience, solar storms that hit Earth in quick succession often influence the Earth's magnetic field more strongly than individual events, emphasized the space weather observers.

Thus, the first solar storm "reached Earth on Tuesday at 11:38 PM. It triggered the strongest geomagnetic storm of the year 2025 and the third strongest in the current solar cycle. The strength of this geomagnetic storm was G4 on the five-part G-scale," quoted the head of the "Space Weather Office" of Geosphere Austria, Christian Möstl, in a statement on Wednesday. This was because "a fast solar storm immediately followed an earlier solar storm and thus reached Earth even faster in a kind of slipstream." Additionally, the two storms "interacted" shortly before hitting Earth.

Another Chance for Northern Lights Over Austria?

In fact, according to Jäger's assessment, the Northern Lights were "very striking - not as great as those on May 10, 2024, yet a more remarkable and surprising event in this solar cycle." According to Geosphere Austria, the Northern Lights were visible in large parts of Austria, with the best conditions in higher altitude areas. It is possible that Northern Lights could still be seen on the night of Thursday, as another solar storm is expected to arrive during the course of today. According to Geosphere's information, the prospects for a good view of the Northern Lights are favorable in many places: "However, dense fog fields are present in some lowland areas," it says.

Northern Lights are a result of the high activity of the sun, which fluctuates in an approximately eleven-year cycle. The current cycle has just reached its maximum with relatively many solar eruptions. When a large number of charged particles are released at high speed from the sun's surface during coronal mass ejections and this geomagnetic storm hits the Earth's magnetic field, it can have noticeable effects. Not only can impressive Northern Lights occur, but satellite systems - such as those for positioning on Earth - or radio signals can be significantly disrupted, and power grids can also be affected.

(APA/Red)

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