New Year's Northern Lights delight as powerful solar storms trigger auroras in central US and Europe (photos)

What a start to 2025!

While many celebrated New Year's Eve with bursts of sparkling fireworks, Earth joined the festivities with a natural spectacle of its own: the Northern Lights.

Two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hit the Earth's magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms and painting the night sky with vivid auroras as far away as California, the United States, Austria and Germany. Geomagnetic storms waxed and waned throughout the night, creating a dynamic celestial fireworks display that extended into the new year.

What causes the strong northern lights?

A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on December 31 at 11:21 a.m. EST (4:21 p.m. GMT) and a second CME struck later that night.

When CMEs strike Earth's magnetosphere, they bring electrically charged particles called ions that collide with Earth's magnetic field. These collisions can trigger geomagnetic storms. During these storms, ions collide with atmospheric gases, releasing energy in the form of light. This creates breathtaking shows known as the Northern Lights, or Northern Lights, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, in the Southern Hemisphere.

Geomagnetic storms are classified according to the NOAA G scale, from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). For most of New Year's Eve, G1 conditions were observed with G2 levels reported at 5:44 a.m. EST (1044 GMT) on January 1, according to NOAA. When the second CME hit Earth, it made the geomagnetic disturbances even worse. Strong G3 levels were reached on January 1 at 9:10 a.m. EST (2:10 p.m. GMT).

Others to come?

And it's not over yet! The sun started 2025 with a bang, blasting a new CME towards Earth, which could trigger more aurora around January 3 and 4, according to space weather physicist Tamitha Skov.

Latest space news, latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and much more!

“Our Sun rings in the new year! We just had another #solarstorm launch from region 3939 in the Earth strike zone,” Skov wrote in an article on X.

Our Sun rings in the new year! We just had another #solarstorm launch from region 3939 in the Earth-Strike zone. (Watch the dimming regions develop near the Sun's center.) Although faint on coronagraphs so far, this one could bring another chance at #aurora on January 3-4! pic.twitter.com/ueLSSlP128 January 1, 2025

But first, let's take a look back at the incredible New Year's Eve spectacle, with these spectacular photos of the Northern Lights.

Photographer Alex Nicodim celebrated the New Year with a stunning Northern Lights display over a ski slope in Levi, Finland.

Skywatchers enjoy the north above a ski slope in Levi, Finland. (Image credit: Photo by Alex Nicodim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Nicodim and other skywatchers celebrating the new year were treated to an incredible aurora display as tall pillars of green and red aurora filled the sky in the early hours of January 1, 2025.

The Northern Lights ring in the New Year on a ski slope in Levi, Finland. (Image credit: Photo by Alex Nicodim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Photographer Hasan Akbas captured these breathtaking scenes over Alaska as the Northern Lights welcome in the new year.

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Northern Lights over Alaska, USA (Image credit: Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images) Northern Lights over Alaska, USA (Image credit: Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images) Northern Lights over Alaska, USA (Image credit: Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images) Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images) Northern Lights over Alaska, USA (Image credit: Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Many skywatchers took to X to post incredible photos of the Northern Lights on New Year's Eve.

Simon Rennie managed to capture this incredible photo of fireworks AND the Northern Lights on New Year's Eve in Finland.

Happy New YearFrom Finnish Lapland#aurora#lapland pic.twitter.com/HRCEyGbUPgDecember 31, 2024

Aurora hunter Mia Stålnacke captured these stunning photographs of the Northern Lights dancing alongside fireworks above Kiruna, Sweden.

“How the New Year started here in Kiruna. With natural and artificial fireworks in the sky. I know which ones I like best,” Stålnacke wrote in an article on X.

How the New Year started here in Kiruna. With natural and artificial fireworks in the sky. I know which ones I prefer. pic.twitter.com/eXbS1wVqqF January 1, 2025

Tour guide Halldor Sigurdsson captured this impressive video of the Northern Lights and fireworks filling the sky above Reykjavik, Iceland.

#AuroraBorealis and #fireworks at 11:57 p.m. in #Reykjavik, #Iceland. Temperature at minus 9 C (15F). Good year. @angie_weather @spann @bbcniweather @StephanieAbrams @Ginger_Zee #newyear @aurorawatchuk @wxbrad @barrabest #happynewyear @TamithaSkov pic.twitter.com/EhDIVm8D15 January 1, 2025

An eagle-eyed aurora hunter has spotted the Northern Lights as far south as the Mojave Desert in the United States.

“It is shocking that this G1 substorm is being detected up to 35° latitude in the Mojave Desert right now at 9:20 p.m. PST,” Blue Sky Aloha wrote in an article on X.

Surprisingly, this G1 substorm is detected up to 35 degrees latitude in the Mojave Desert right now at 9:20 p.m. PST @TamithaSkov @Vincent_Ledvina @SNHWx @SirlinJohn @edwanx @halocme pic.twitter.com/ejYS7h4MBfJanuary 1, 2025

Bad weather may have canceled many of the Hogmanay fireworks displays across Scotland, including Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations, but some lucky skywatchers were treated to an even more impressive display.

“What a way to bring in the new year in beautiful Scotland! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025,” Puja R. Mehta wrote in an article on X.

What a way to bring in the new year in beautiful Scotland! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025 ☺️ #NewYear2025 #NorthernLights #Auroraborealis #Scotland pic.twitter.com/OONuAJgnViJanuary 1, 2025

Amateur photographer Gary McIntyre shared this stunning view of the bright red Northern Lights over Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

“Happy New Year everyone! Mother Nature organized her own bell show. All our best wishes for 2025!” McIntyre wrote in an article on X.

Happy New Year to you all! Mother Nature put on her own show for the bells. Best wishes for 2025! ❤️😘🙂🙏🏻 #love #northernlights #Aberdeenshire #Aurora #2025 #NewYear2025 #NewYear #Scotland #Insch pic.twitter.com/4NUGP2zbrtJanuary 1, 2025

The Northern Lights were also visible over the Austrian Alps, with faint red hues captured by webcams in Saint Anton am Arlberg.

“Great activity for 47°N considering that Kp was ~4 (below storm threshold)!” aurora chaser Jure Atanackov wrote in an article on X.

Another view of aurora over the Austrian Alps during the midnight substorm CET (11:30 p.m.-12:20 a.m. CET) – this time from Sankt Anton am Arlberg. Great activity for 47°N considering that Kp was ~4 (below the storm threshold)! pic.twitter.com/JOFjMtHsrJanuary 71, 2025

Atanackov also shared webcam views of the Northern Lights from the Bayerische Zugsptizbahn in southern Germany.

“Central Europe had a pretty decent show, even though geomagnetic activity never reached the G1 storm threshold. If only Bz had been more favorable,” Atanackov wrote on X.

Aurora around midnight (11:30 p.m.-12:20 a.m. CET) from the Bayerische Zugsptizbahn in southern Germany. Central Europe had a pretty decent show, although geomagnetic activity never reached storm threshold G1. If only Bz had been more supportive. pic.twitter.com/obNTdVLb2S January 1, 2025

Editor's Note: If you capture a great photo or video of the Northern (or Southern) Lights and want to share it with Space.com for a possible story, submit images, comments about the view, and your location , as well as use permissions at [email protected].

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