During the night of Thursday 10 to Friday 11 October 2024night owls and insomniacs had the chance to witness a phenomenon as magical as it was unexpected: northern lights lit up the sky over Bordeauxpassing through Gironde, Médoc, Béarn and the Basque Country. A rare event at these latitudes, even more so in urban areas where light pollution generally prevents you from enjoying such shows.
On social networks, amazed testimonies have multiplied. Photos and videos flooded feeds, showing shades of green, purple and red in the sky. Residents of the surrounding rural areas, particularly in the Monts du Lyonnais, benefited from even more optimal conditions to admire these lights in all their splendor.
In Gironde
©Xplora
©Michel Hernandez
In Bordeaux Nansouty district
A Pessac
A Haux
In Bassens
To Vayres
In Lacanau
In the Médoc
The Northern Lights are multiplying in Bordeaux
But how can we explain this unexpected appearance of the Northern Lights in our latitudes? All this is linked to solar activity in full swing. Indeed, auroras are generated by solar winds, these flows of charged particles emitted by flares on the sun. During these more intense periods, which occur approximately every 11 years, these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, creating these famous light waves in the sky.
The colors of the auroras depend on the composition of the gases present in the atmosphere: oxygen produces green hues, nitrogen red hues, hydrogen blue and helium mauve flashes. And with the peak of this solar activity predicted for 2025, it is not impossible that other appearances of this phenomenon will occur in the months to come. So, for those who missed this exceptional spectacle, keep your eyes peeled, because the Bordeaux sky could once again have some bright surprises in store soon!
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