On the night of October 10 to 11, the sky in France lit up. A geomagnetic storm of rare intensity triggered polar auroras so strong that their red color was clearly visible to the naked eye.
The polar lights were there over Europe on the night of October 10 to 11, 2024. The peak of activity took place around 1:30 a.m. (French legal time); the auroras were then perfectly visible to the naked eye, and the red color was perceptible without effort. Perceiving this color remains rare because even if many weak auroras have been observed in recent months from France, only two have clearly displayed these colors: that of May 10 and that of October 10. These two dates will always be remembered. They correspond to the strongest geomagnetic storms in nearly 20 years. In general, the red color is not perceptible because our eyes are not very sensitive to this color, especially at night. Its sensitivity shifts into the blue. It is therefore necessary to cross a certain threshold of intensity for these nuances to be perceived. Under the red draperies, the green auroras were also visible with a fairly pastel coloring.
Another sign of the intensity of the aurora: it is revealed perfectly well in real-time video. The visual perception was quite similar to what we see in this video, with simply softer colors, a little less saturated.
The auroral activity extended throughout the night and could be observed as far away as the south of France. For observers located in the north of the country, the phenomenon went beyond the zenith, which is very rare. Most often we see the top of the auroras located above the British islands, but last night – like May 10 – they were indeed well above France. These auroras could also be observed in the tropics as on May 10. Witness the photos taken from Reunion Island by astrophotographer Luc Perrot.
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