The Northern Lights display of 10 October 2024 will live long in the memory of those who saw it, and one photographer managed to capture an image of the aurora over one of the most iconic buildings in the world.
Jonah Bryson captured this image of the aurora over the US Capitol, Washington DC, on the night of 10 October at around 10pm local time, using nothing more than the phone in his pocket.
Jonah says: "I have previously experienced and photographed the Northern Lights in Iceland, but never in a million years thought I’d see them this far south, over the United States Capitol.
"When the sky turned green and red, it was just unbelievable. I didn’t have my camera on me, but my phone did the trick to capture the magic of that night."
Aurora explained
The aurora display of May 2024 and the more recent aurora display of October 2024 are a result of increased activity on the Sun, as it approaches the peak of its Solar Cycle.
The Solar Cycle is the name given to the 11-year period during which the Sun goes from relatively quiet and inactive to a peak of activity in the form of solar flares, sunspots and coronal mass ejections.
These solar phenomena release a stream of charged particles – known as the solar wind – that interacts with Earth's magnetic field, and we see the effects of this on the ground in the form of the aurora.
As the Sun is at its most active right now, we're seeing more aurora displays, and of increased intensity.
And as a result, we're getting many more sightings and many more amazing images, such as this image of the Northern Lights over the Capitol building.
If you've captured an image of the aurora, send us your images and share your experiences by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.
