The phenomenon was seen, among other things, in southern and western Sweden. Viewer images of the northern lights were sent in to TV4 from several parts of the country. Among other things from Mollösund, Orust, Väröbacka and Dyrön but also parts of Skåne.
– I have always dreamed of experiencing the northern lights and had no idea that I would be so lucky tonight. It was as if the sky danced in beautiful colors while the stars shone clearly through, says Julia Alkner in Mollösund.
– I thought about how incredibly cool the world we live in can create such beautiful natural phenomena as the northern lights. It almost felt as if you were in space and disconnected from Earth for a second, she continues.
But also in parts of Stockholm county up towards Uppsala and on Gotland, the northern lights were visible, says northern lights informant Carl Bergstrand, who has studied the northern lights for 16 years and also runs the site Norrskensverige.se.
– It was almost bizarre. In the North there were no northern lights at all. Possibly in a northeast position. But the best show for me on Gotland and the whole of southern Sweden, was when you looked south. And it doesn’t happen very often that you see the northern lights in a southerly direction. It is very unusual, says Bergstrand.
Geomagnetic storm
According to the US weather agency NOAA, it is an extreme geomagnetic storm. In a so-called solar flare, a “solar flare” or solar eruption, a cascade of charged particles is thrown into space in a solar storm that sometimes hits the Earth’s magnetic field.
– The rest is history. We are now seeing the strongest storm in 20 years, maybe even a little over.
If you want to get close, you have to look at the “Halloween storms” in 2003. So this is actually a historic event, says Carl Bergstrand.
It is the sun’s activity that causes the solar storms, and according to Bergstrand, one or more solar storms left the sun on Wednesday morning and during the day on Wednesday. Some hit the Earth’s magnetic field yesterday late afternoon which then caused the northern lights phenomenon during the night.
– Now we have been lucky. We have had a region on the sun called AR 3664 that is very active and has produced these amazing solar storms. Several pieces in a row.
– Just go along and enjoy, says Bergstrand.
In 2003, the storms caused extensive power outages in southern Sweden. According to krisinformation.se solar storms can cause disruptions in electricity supply, electronic communications and even cause problems for train and air traffic in extreme cases.
More northern lights chances
But the chances are good to see the northern lights for the rest of the weekend as well, according to Bergstrand. Several additional solar storms hit the earth during yesterday and also during Saturday morning, which gives aurora chances on Sunday night but also on Monday night.
But there are several conditions that must be met for the naked eye to be able to see the northern lights, according to Bergstrand. Among other things, it must be cloudless and dark.
– A rather dark sky is required and that is probably our biggest challenge right now. There is a fairly short window of dark skies even in southern Sweden, he says.
Carl Bergstrand’s tips for seeing the northern lights
• Be prepared when it is darkest.
• Have patience. Waiting is really the best thing. Stay and bring an audiobook or music you like.
• If you want to take pictures, try to hold the phone as still as possible. Feel free to set it up against a boulder or tripod so that the camera and phone are still.
• But also enjoy. Yes, enjoy is my big tip.