Virginia Photographers Capture Stunning Night Sky Phenomenon – Was It the Aurora?

ROANOKE, Va. – Excitement stirred on Sunday with a forecast posted on Facebook by the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, indicating a potential glimpse of the aurora borealis for photographers that evening.

Anticipation led photographers to seek out darker spots, hoping for an encounter with the dancing lights of the aurora borealis as a result of an earlier sunset.

However, what they encountered was a different phenomenon – a stable auroral red (SAR) arc.

Keep reading to see what that is and how it’s different than the aurora borealis.

Even though I am not a photographer, I decided to venture up the Blue Ridge Parkway that evening, inspired by actual photographers who had shared their findings on social media.

Capturing the SAR required the use of long exposure settings on your phone/camera and minimizing light pollution. It turns out the SAR aligned with a strong geomagnetic storm, which we’ll explain.

There isn’t much known about the SAR, however, according to space.com, a stable auroral arc occurs when light from only oxygen molecules is heated by an electric current around Earth. It differs from the aurora borealis, which forms when a solar storm interacts with Earth’s magnetic field, creating a dance of different colors.

The strength of the geomagnetic storm determines how far south the aurora becomes visible, while the height of the interaction affects the color(s) that you see.

Predicting the aurora is challenging, often with only a few hours’ notice of its occurrence. We will do our best to inform you of its potential.

Send your pictures to wsls.com/pins if you managed to capture the aurora or the SAR on camera.