Aurora Watchers Share Stunning Northern Lights Photos

2 weeks ago 5

The sun is in a spirited mood and aurora watchers on Earth are basking in the glow. Our nearest star has been spitting out flares and sending solar material careening toward our planet, where it's creating some of the brightest and widest-reaching auroras in years. Thursday night was a particularly wild show, with the northern lights stretching deep down into the US.

We've rounded up aurora views from across the country, from CNET staffers and their families and friends -- and even one from up in space. Enjoy the swirling, colorful lights and keep an eye on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center for aurora forecasts. The sun will remain active, giving skywatchers more opportunities to catch the northern lights.

International Space Station

Parts of the ISS hang down in front of green and red aurora view from the ISS.

One of the most awe-inspiring views of the aurora came from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a snapshot on X showing parts of the ISS in the foreground with a blazing green and red aurora dancing over Earth below.

"Stunning was the word," Pettit wrote. "It looked like the space station had been shrunk to some miniature dimension and inserted into a neon sign. We were not flying above the aurora; we were flying in the aurora. And it was blood red." Pettit used a Nikon Z9 for the shot.

Virginia

Purple aurora glow with trees in the foreground.

CNET's James Bricknell used the astrophotography setting on a Google Pixel Fold to capture a glowing purple aurora from the northern reaches of Virginia.

Kansas

Red glowing aurora over a dark craggy landscape.

CNET's Chris Wedel witnessed the shifting red and green colors of the aurora from Lyon County, Kansas. This image is from a Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold using the Night Sight setting -- read CNET's tips on how to take better night-mode photos here.

Green trees with glowing red aurora behind them.

Kari Wedel used a handheld Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 with the auto night mode setting to get this view of the aurora along with the green leaves of the trees in the foreground.

South Carolina

Blushing red and purple aurora over a light-lit body of water.

The aurora lit up the sky in Tega Cay, South Carolina, creating a rosy glow over the water. CNET's Erica Devaney used an iPhone 15 Pro for this view.

New Mexico

Diffuse reddish glove above a desert landscape.

The aurora stretched far to the south on Thursday. This blush-like aurora glow was seen from Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a scrubby desert landscape below. Virginia Thompson captured the view with a Moto G Power phone.

New York

Green aurora reflected in a body of water with trees along the side.

This serene scene shows a green and purple aurora reflecting in water. CNET's Richard Peterson snapped this beauty with an iPhone 14 Pro using a 1-second exposure in Monroe, New York.

Dark red aurora glow above a house with lit windows.

The red aurora flits above a house with lit windows. It took 3 seconds with an iPhone 14 Pro for CNET's Jeffrey Hazelwood to capture this scene in the Catskill Mountains.

Pennsylvania

Glamorous purple glow over a building with grasses in the front.

The aurora lights kicked up at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Dean Myers used an iPhone 15 to spot this ethereal purple-red glow.

Missouri

Bright pink and red aurora spills out above tall green trees.

Ciearra Jackson's iPhone 14 Pro Max delivered a stunner of a shot highlighting tall trees in the foreground with a blazing aurora reaching into the sky above Hillsboro, Missouri.