The solar storm of May 2024 seen over the Lake Vyrnwy in Wales, UK. It was the most powerful geomagnetic storm to affect Earth since March 1989 and produced aurorae at far more equatorial latitudes than usual in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

One of the interesting things is how many different colour tones are visible in this one image, including orange, which is very rare.

Simply put, aurorae are formed when fast-moving electrons from the Sun collide with gas in the Earth's atmosphere, via its magnetosphere.

More specifically, the colour produced depends on the gas being excited and how much energy. Green is the most common colour and is produced by oxygen, along with red tones. Nitrogen produces the rarer purple and blue colours. Pink and yellow tones usually result from a mixture of red with blue or green. Orange can also be seen during intense Solar storms, however are extremely rare and its origin is often still debated.

 

​IMAGE DETAILS

​

• Camera: Canon M50 MkII.

• Lens: Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM.

• Location: Lake Vyrnwy, Wales, UK

• Exposure: 30s at ISO 3200 and 15mm (F/3.5).

• Processing: Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop.

• Credit & Copyright: Chris Willocks.