Mainers from around the state came outside Thursday night to watch the horizon dance in shades of magenta, emerald and azure, as the aurora borealis made a spectacular appearance across northern skies.
A powerful solar storm earlier in the week brought the aurora to skies throughout North America, offering great views of the northern lights Thursday night. The sun is nearing the peak of the solar cycle, which means frequent solar flares and ejections of particles from the sun.
In many places in Maine the aurora came in shades of deep pink and green — the colors of watermelon tourmaline, the most famous variety of Maine’s state gemstone.
This week’s aurora comes less than five months after another northern lights appearance dazzled Mainers in May of this year. The aurora is typically a rare occurrence outside of far northern latitudes. It has been a banner year for celestial events in Maine, between multiple sightings of the aurora and the total solar eclipse in April.
There may be more aurora activity in Maine on Friday night, though it may be more muted in comparison to Thursday’s show.
Mainers from all over the state sent us their photos of the lights on Thursday. Do you have your own photos to share? Email them to news@bangordailynews.com, and we may add them to this gallery.
Top row, left to right: Hannah Young, taken at Thomas Hill Standpipe in Bangor; Cara Pelletier, taken at Copeland Hill in Holden; Sawyer Loftus, taken in Bangor.
Second row: Joey Lawson, taken in Carmel; Matt Junker, taken in Old Town; Allison Lakin, taken in Waldoboro.
Third row: Diane Bean, taken in Winter Harbor; Tara Salvucci, taken in Guilford; Harold Grove, taken in Frankfort. In the center of the last photo in this row you can faintly make out a meteor streaking across the sky.
Bottom row: Kristina Earle, taken in Calais, and Hannah Batley, taken at Pushaw Lake in the Bangor area.