The mythical Northern Lights tiptoe across Catalonia
The peak of the phenomenon has passed by our house, after auroras were seen from several points in the early hours of Wednesday.
BarcelonaThe Northern Lights have returned to Catalonia this November. They were visible in the early hours of Wednesday morning, primarily in areas far from light pollution. All forecasts indicated that the best time to see this phenomenon would be Wednesday night into Thursday morning, but ultimately the auroras were concentrated in more northerly latitudes, where they are more common. However, in the early hours of Thursday morning, a very faint and indirect SAR aurora borealis was observed from the Prades Astronomical Park in the Baix Camp region, from where the phenomenon was monitored throughout the night and early morning. This coincided with the peak of geomagnetic activity. In any case, it was only visible with the aid of cameras, as it was not visible to the naked eye.
In any case, this is an extraordinary event in our country, occurring with unusual frequency at our latitudes since 2024 due to a peak in solar activity, which is reaching its highest point in 2025. The solar storms of recent days are sending many particles toward our planet which, upon colliding with Earth's magnetic field, generate these powerful auroras. They are usually concentrated at both poles, but exceptionally, they are being seen at lower latitudes than normal. These solar storms can often cause telecommunications problems across the globe.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, auroras were observed from various points in Catalonia. However, in most cases, the auroras were seen through cameras and long-exposure photographs, as, despite their spectacular nature, they were too faint to be easily seen with the naked eye. Therefore, it was a weaker episode than the one that occurred on May 10, 2024. On that historic night, the auroras could be seen without any equipment. These are some of the images of the auroras observed on November 12 in Catalonia.
When is it possible to see the Northern Lights in Catalonia?
Solar activity has been at a peak in recent months, and solar storms are sending more particles than usual toward Earth. When these intense fronts of solar particles collide with our planet's magnetic field, they cause geomagnetic storms that can generate these auroras. They are usually seen at Earth's poles and nearby areas, but depending on the intensity of these storms, auroras can be exceptionally visible at lower latitudes, as has been happening lately.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) classifies the intensity of geomagnetic storms into 5 levels on a scale called G, ranging from G1 (weak) to G5 (extreme). In Catalonia, these circumstances are very unlikely, but from level G3 (strong storm) or G4 (severe storm) upwards, there is a possibility of indirectly seeing these northern lights. And that is what has happened in some cases since 2024, including in the last few hours.
Whenever there are opportunities to see the northern lights in Catalonia, the recommendation is to observe the sky from high areas or large plains where there are no obstacles on the northern horizon, such as buildings, mountains, or trees. We must avoid light pollution, and we should have a camera handy—even a mobile phone camera—since it will be easier to see the auroras through a camera than with the naked eye. At the moment, there are no forecasts for new opportunities to see the northern lights in our country.
The auroras that have been seen lately in Catalonia are called SAR (Sea Aurora Surges). In our country, they reach us indirectly and weakly, concentrated on the northern horizon. They are not the typical auroras that usually create spectacular green shapes in the northernmost latitudes; instead, a reddish or lilac color is observed in this part of the sky.
Northern Lights around the world
The Northern Lights were visible from many parts of the world on both Wednesday and Thursday. It's important to note that those seen in the Southern Hemisphere are called the Southern Lights. The most spectacular displays occurred at latitudes closer to the poles. Areas in the United States and Europe, for example, saw their skies light up in the middle of the night. In many parts of Spain, especially in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, auroras were also visible on Wednesday, a truly unusual occurrence. Here are some images of the auroras observed around the world since Wednesday: