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Arizona skywatchers were treated to a rare celestial show Tuesday as the northern lights shimmered across parts of the state.
Powerful solar storms hitting Earth this week pushed the aurora borealis far south, dazzling skywatchers across more than a dozen states.
The northern lights made a rare appearance in Arizona on Tuesday night, glowing above Flagstaff, Prescott and even parts of metro Phoenix. Residents across the state grabbed their cameras and caught skies painted in streaks of purple, red and pink. Photos of the breathtaking display flooded social media, lighting up feeds with proof of the celestial show.
Solar storms are expected to impact the Earth on Wednesday, which may cause additional sightings of the northern lights.
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Tuesday’s appearance by the rare sight was triggered by coronal mass ejections from solar storms on Nov. 8 that hurled charged particles toward Earth. Those particles smashed into the planet’s magnetic field, sparking glowing ribbons of light that stretched far beyond their normal polar reach.
The sun is now raging at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, churning out energy and flares at a furious pace. This surge has made aurora sightings more common and more dramatic, even in regions that almost never see them.
Over the past week, brilliant northern lights have danced across unexpected parts of the United States, from the Great Plains to the desert Southwest. Space weather experts say this solar activity is not slowing down anytime soon, which means more light shows could be on the way.
Tuesday night’s display was not Arizona’s first brush with the aurora borealis.
In 2024, massive solar storms, the strongest in two decades, lit up skies across much of the state. During that event, waves of color rolled over Tucson, Sedona and the Grand Canyon, drawing attention from residents statewide.
While Tuesday’s show was not as widespread, it still delivered a stunning spectacle. Photos showed skies glowing deep red over Prescott Valley and pinkish hues shimmering above Flagstaff’s pines.
Aleksandra Oldak
Even the Phoenix area got in on the action. Reports came in from Apache Junction, New River and north Phoenix where residents caught faint, colorful glimmers on the horizon.
For many Arizonans, the northern lights’ appearance last night felt like a cosmic surprise and an unexpected gift from the cosmos. Here is a look at some of the photos shared across social media on Tuesday night.
