CME IMPACT SPARKS NORTHERN *AND* SOUTHERN LIGHTS: A CME struck Earth's magnetic field yesterday, March 15th. The impact was so strong, it sparked auroras over both ends of our planet. First, the south:
"Red auroras lit up the skies above Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand," reports photographer Mike White. "A strong glow persisted for an hour or so on the southern horizon with occasional periods of bright rays extending upwards." Second, the north:
Roman Banas photographed these red auroras near Bydgoszcz, Poland, almost 18,000 km away yet remarkably similar to the display in New Zealand. "You could see the rays with the naked eye," says Banas. "It was strongest around midnight."