While watching the sky, on the night of Thursday October 10 to Friday October 11, 2024, you could have seen this from your garden: colorful contrasts, rays of intense light in pink and red colors among the twinkling stars. Northern lights! A magnificent spectacle offered by nature, observed in Normandy.
An intense solar storm hit France overnight and led to a significant geomagnetic phenomenon causing these northern lights in regions further south than usual, announced the American space weather agency. (Noaa).
It follows the solar flare that occurred on October 9, 2024. The Sun is close to its cyclical peak of activity. A peak which led, last May, to the most extreme solar storm since 2003.
Ideal conditions for observing them
The sky still had to be not too cloudy to see them… Which was the case in the peaceful town of Sap-André, near Gacé, in Orne: at 11:30 p.m. to midnight, Thursday, the sky was clear, the wind almost non-existent, the temperature bearable (9°C). Ideal conditions for observing the Northern Lights. Discover these magnificent photos taken on the iPhone.
Polar auroras arise from the collision between the atmosphere and solar winds. Usually, they are more easily seen in Iceland, Norway or Finland. Near the North Pole of the planet. We then speak of the Northern Lights. Conversely, to admire the auroras australis, you have to approach the South Pole.
Read also: Where should you go to admire the magnificent Northern Lights?
To have a better chance of observing them, it is better to move away from any light pollution and clouds and prefer dark nights, that is to say when the moon illuminates the sky less.
In France, it is very rare, but therefore possible, to admire this spectacle. The most favorable regions are those located in the north of the country, such as Hauts-de-France, Brittany and Normandy.
And elsewhere in Normandy…
In Caen (Calvados), our photojournalist Martin Roche captured these superb images in the middle of the night. Northern lights visible to the naked eye above the Abbaye aux Hommes, seat of the town hall. Magical moments, he explains.
Christopher Bribet, one of the weather specialists in Normandy, also observed this spectacular phenomenon on Thursday evening in the Caen area. Here we share his photos – and those of Internet users who follow him – which he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Thursday evening, from the heights of the fishing port of Port-en-Bessin, in Calvados, our reporter-photographer Guillaume Saligot had the opportunity to capture the Northern Lights with his camera. Here are two of his stunning photos.
These northern lights were also visible in Vernon, in Eure, as evidenced by this photo shared on the social network Instagram.
Visible to the naked eye or with a camera?
The pink-red color of the Northern Lights seen at our latitudes is difficult to see with the naked eye. “It is therefore necessary for the aurora to reach a certain intensity to perceive it visually, or better yet, for green auroras which are much easier to observe to appear, details the magazine Sky and space . On the other hand, the camera will be able to capture these red nuances without difficulty, even on the horizon with an exposure time of 5 to 10 seconds. »
This particularly spectacular phenomenon is likely to become more and more frequent in the coming months, with the sun reaching a peak of activity which makes solar eruptions more numerous.
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