CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — If you noticed a colorful glow in the sky last night — yes, that was the aurora! Normally, we only see these lights near the North Pole, but a strong geomagnetic storm sent energy from the Sun racing toward Earth.
How does it happen?
Charged particles collide with gases high up in our atmosphere, creating the glowing greens, purples, and reds we saw — kind of like a natural neon light show!
This storm was strong enough to push the aurora all the way south into Texas. So what we witnessed here was space weather in action — energy from 93 million miles away lighting up our skies.
⚡ What’s Happening
- The Sun released a strong burst of energy, called a solar flare or coronal mass ejection (CME).
- That sends charged particles racing toward Earth.
- When those particles reach Earth, they’re pulled toward the magnetic poles and collide with gases high in our atmosphere — mainly oxygen and nitrogen.
- Those collisions release energy as colorful light, creating the aurora.
🌍 Why You Can See It So Far South
- This week’s solar activity was especially strong — a G3 to G4 geomagnetic storm (NOAA classification).
- That means Earth’s magnetic field is disturbed enough to let those charged particles reach much lower latitudes — even into Texas and the Gulf Coast.
If you have pictures of the aurora, be sure to share them in our Coastal Bend Weather Watchers group on Facebook.