Stargazers in New England experienced a remarkable display in the night sky with both the Perseid meteor shower and the northern lights visible on the same night.
Takako Moriguchi and her husband Rick Domann woke up at 1 a.m. on Monday and traveled from Belmont to Rockport after checking the KPI index for aurora activity, which indicated a high chance of sightings. They were able to see the auroras’ reddish and green colors on the horizon, alongside 20 to 30 shooting stars during a one-and-a-half-hour period. Moriguchi even captured a stunning photo of a meteor alongside the northern lights with her iPhone.
The Perseid meteor shower, known for being the best of the year, occurs as Earth passes through debris from comet Swift-Tuttle. While the peak was Sunday night, meteors are likely to be visible for several nights to come. The couple noted that the parking lot at the state park in Rockport was nearly half full, with many eager observers soaking in the celestial sights.
“It was phenomenal, it was celestial,” Domann remarked. Meanwhile, further north, the aurora displayed even more brilliance. The Mount Washington Observatory shared a time-lapse video capturing the lights from the region’s highest peak, showing vibrant colors over Berlin and Lancaster, New Hampshire.
The National Weather Service’s office in Caribou, Maine, also shared a photo of the striking red, pink, and green skies, encouraging viewers to take a look at the northern lights as well.
The sun has been particularly active recently, with what was classified as a G3 storm being raised to a G4 severe geomagnetic storm level, indicating potentially more auroras in the coming nights. While predicting auroras can be challenging, current high activity levels suggest that low-latitude auroras might be visible overnight.
For those wishing to catch a glimpse, it’s essential to seek out a dark area away from artificial light. Similarly, the Perseid meteor shower continues to offer viewing opportunities, with leftovers likely to be visible on Monday night, especially after midnight when the moon sets, providing optimal conditions for observing shooting stars.