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On Sunday night, the Northern Lights could once again be seen in the sky over Germany. Will the phenomenon be seen again on Monday?
Update from May 13th, 10:20 a.m: In the past few nights, colorful northern lights could be admired in the sky in many parts of Germany. A spectacle that is rarely seen in this country. As the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in the USA reports, the peak now appears to be over. On Sunday (May 12th) there was another warning for a solar storm in the G3 category, and a gradual weakening is forecast for Monday and Tuesday.
Breathtaking northern lights over Germany: The sky has turned colorful in the last few nights, like here in Saxon Switzerland. © Sylvio Dittrich/Imago
Update from May 12th, 3 p.m.: The northern lights that were visible in the sky over Germany on the night of Friday (May 10th) to Saturday (May 11th) surprised many people – after all, in Central Europe you rarely see the colorful veils in the sky. At the moment, the group of sunspots that triggered the aurora is still directed towards Earth – so there could be more coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that hit Earth.
Plasma clouds containing particles charged by the sun are currently on their way to Earth. It is not entirely clear when exactly they hit our planet’s magnetic field. However, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in the US believes that several of these CMEs could merge along the way and hit Earth as early as Sunday (May 12). That’s why there is another prediction that solar storms in categories G4 (severe) to G5 (extreme) are possible when these plasma clouds arrive. If the conditions are right, there could be northern lights again in Germany tonight.
Spectacular glow over Germany: The most beautiful pictures from the Northern Lights nights
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Colorful northern lights in the sky over Germany: There’s still another chance tonight
Update from May 12th, 10:35 a.m.: Wherever you looked, in the past 48 hours the internet and especially social media were full of snapshots of light spectacles over Germany. Northern lights in our spheres and at this time of year – this is actually an unusual phenomenon. Usually you have to travel to Scandinavia and even then you still need a bit of luck.
Anyone who missed the natural spectacle over the past two nights can now hope again. In the night from Sunday (May 12th) to Monday (May 13th) the northern lights may well appear again. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), there is still a strong solar storm on its way to Earth.
Northern lights in Germany: The active sun makes it possible again tonight
Original message from May 11th: Frankfurt – Anyone who looked at the sky at the right time on the night of May 10th to 11th could witness a historic sight: a violent geomagnetic storm had hit the earth’s magnetic field and triggered the northern lights. They are usually best seen in the polar regions of the earth, but this time it was different: Northern lights were reported as far south as Europe. In the middle of Germany – where you should only be able to see the northern lights on the northern horizon, they could be seen high up into the zenith, sometimes even in the southern sky.
Rare sight: No, there is no art filter over the photo. It’s a snapshot of the Northern Lights in Germany. There is also hope for the rare natural spectacle on Monday night (May 13th). © Sylvio Dittrich/Imago
The spectacular northern lights were triggered by a violent solar storm that was classified in the G5 (extreme) category by the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). A solar storm of this strength can not only cause the northern lights to reach unusually low latitudes, but the terrestrial infrastructure can also be affected. But reports of damage have so far been limited.
Tonight the northern lights could be seen over Germany again
That’s why the anticipation of observers is likely to be great: the experts from the SWPC assumethat northern lights can also appear in the sky next night (May 11th to 12th). “Storms of varying intensity will continue at least until Sunday,” the SWPC said. And further: “The danger of additional strong eruptions remains until the large and magnetically complex sunspot cluster rotates out of view in the next few days.” The sunspot cluster in question is about the size of 17 Earths and has already produced numerous violent coronal mass ejections.
These hurl charged solar plasma towards Earth. If the plasma hits the Earth’s magnetic field, it can penetrate the atmosphere and cause gases to glow – the northern lights are created. The questions remain: How to watch the Northern Lights tonight? And when can the Northern Lights be seen in Germany tonight? The answers to this are not entirely simple.
Pink northern lights in the Rhine-Main area on the night of May 10th to 11th, 2024. © Tanja Banner
Watching the Northern Lights tonight: When will the sky be colorful again?
Basically, you can only see the northern lights when the sky is completely dark. So it’s not worth looking up beforehand. As soon as it is dark, whether the northern lights are possible depends on various conditions: Has a solar storm hit the earth? At what speed? What is the plasma like? There are apps that show all of these factors – but understanding them all is not easy. However, it is easier to take a look at expert forums like this Forum of the Working Group Meteors eV to throw. There are usually helpful tips and hints as to when observation is worthwhile.
Basically, more solar storms are expected tonight (from May 11th to 12th), so there could be northern lights over Germany again. However, exactly when the plasma will arrive cannot be reliably predicted. Therefore, the recommendation is: All the things you need to observe the northern lights should be ready so that you can immediately make your way to the observation site at the first sign of possible northern lights.
How you can watch the Northern Lights in Germany tonight
It should be as dark as possible and allow a good view towards the north – because that’s where you can see the northern lights in the starry sky. The northern lights on the night of May 10th to 11th were so strong that they could be seen much higher up – into the zenith and sometimes even in the southern sky. But you shouldn’t rely on that and look towards the north.
Pink and green northern lights in the Rhine-Main area on the night of May 10th to 11th, 2024. © Tanja Banner
Observe the Northern Lights in Germany: Long exposure shows the splendor of the colors
Also, don’t expect to see a bright pink and green sky as seen in many pictures from last night. In mid-latitudes, aurora can be seen with the naked eye under particularly intense conditions, but cameras can capture the color of aurora much better than the human eye. This should be well adapted to the dark (dark adaptation takes about 20 minutes), then it will perceive more details.
Instead of stopping the observation too early in frustration, it can also make sense to try taking a long exposure of the sky with your smartphone. The smartphone captures the northern lights if they are in the sky. Then you know more precisely in which direction you should look and what you should pay attention to. The northern lights can sometimes appear colorless (white/gray) and can hardly be distinguished from clouds. (tab)