A solar storm of rare intensity is heading towards Earth this weekend of May 11 and 12, causing northern lights which have been observed in several regions of France. The images are impressive.
“I wake up after seeing the night in pink,” rejoices on X Eric Lagadec, astrophysicist at the Côte d’Azur Observatory. And for good reason, the Northern Lights were observed in France, on the night of May 10 to 11, 2024. On social networks, the photos of these were widely relayed. Some fans of this phenomenon have shared time-lapse videos of the sky, such as at Mont Saint-Michel.
In Paris, and despite light pollution, some Internet users managed to see the Northern Lights above the capital.
They also crossed France, in Isère and the Côte d’Or.
A phenomenon linked to a solar storm
These impressive images are linked to a solar storm that is forecast to last through the weekend. This is of rare intensity. It could also disrupt electronic and communications networks. This intensity has not been measured since 2003. In reality, the Sun is currently ejecting plasma bubbles which are called coronal mass. These are “explosions of energetic particles and magnetic fields radiating from the sun,” explained Shawn Dahl of the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) at a press conference Friday afternoon. At least seven explosions took place towards Earth between Friday and Saturday morning. The Sun is approaching its peak of activity which follows an 11-year cycle.