Dan Robinson
EF5
Big and potentially long-lived Aurora event in progress, naked-eye visible from I-64 corridor in the St. Louis metro. Quick phone snap from 7:25pm cst
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Aurora event November 11-12, 2025
- Thread starter Dan Robinson
- Start date
Dan Robinson
EF5
This is turning out to be top-tier! This is ultrawide with red pillars to zenith and a huge intense green arc way up high that I’ve never seen before.
Warren Faidley
Supporter
William Monfredo
EF4
Amazing! At first I thought the moon had illuminated some clouds, but no clouds or moon. Like the gates of heaven at one point way overhead!
Warren Faidley
Supporter
I did a test last night and ran an AI request to generate an image based on the current "aurora event" relying on "real images being posted on social media." Here is the result. Editorial note: AI image.
William Monfredo
EF4
I'm posting another one to show just how bright the sky turned. There were no city lights, no factories, nothing but really bright auroral displays.
Orion's located in the lower right quadrant of the photo, by the way. And Spinal Tap rates this "electric sky" event an "11."
The display didn't flicker, but it had everything else...big blobs of light, illuminated columns, large bows, & searchlights.
gdlewen
EF4
Definitely did not expect such a great aurora last night, and so was not even thinking of heading out of town...and then reports of visible aurora start rolling in on the local news. 
(If I had been parked on StormTrack, I would have seen @Dan Robinson's early post. )
Early on there was not too much to see--broken thin cirrus obscured the northern sky from our location: you could see unremarkable red and green tinging through the clouds but if you did not know there was an aurora behind it you might not think twice.
When the cirrus started to clear away we got a good view from my backyard (complete with my neighbor's back porch lights, which always seem to be on, by the way). At its brightest, the aurora was visible to the naked eye, which is pretty amazing since Owasso is not a dark sky.
Three Nikon Z6 images were taken at 10:45 PM CST, using @ 24mm using the Nikkor 24-200mm lens, with settings of ISO 400, f/5.6 and 25 second exposure; the images were then stitched with Hugin. I would prefer a better composition, but since this is my first real aurora, having missed the earlier "big shows"...not complaining.
(If I had been parked on StormTrack, I would have seen @Dan Robinson's early post. )Early on there was not too much to see--broken thin cirrus obscured the northern sky from our location: you could see unremarkable red and green tinging through the clouds but if you did not know there was an aurora behind it you might not think twice.
When the cirrus started to clear away we got a good view from my backyard (complete with my neighbor's back porch lights, which always seem to be on, by the way). At its brightest, the aurora was visible to the naked eye, which is pretty amazing since Owasso is not a dark sky.
Three Nikon Z6 images were taken at 10:45 PM CST, using @ 24mm using the Nikkor 24-200mm lens, with settings of ISO 400, f/5.6 and 25 second exposure; the images were then stitched with Hugin. I would prefer a better composition, but since this is my first real aurora, having missed the earlier "big shows"...not complaining.
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William Monfredo
EF4
Congratulations, you picked a winner! Someone told me this event competes with other notable places like Fairbanks, Alaska where they used to live.
I knew about the coronal mass-ejection but did not have particularly high hopes either until I saw the Kp-index close to 9.
I went outside between 9:15 and 11:15 p.m. CST and got startled because of the top quality. The green arcs wormed their way slowly across the sky seemingly enveloping the viewer from both high above and off to the sides.
Not to make anyone disappointed that missed it, but it's like the Grand Canyon in AZ; you have to see it in person, not just in pictures.
The best Aurora Borealis I've seen? Yes, I'd have to say that about this one.
Dan Robinson
EF5
My photography of this event was halfhearted. I headed down to my usual rural railroad crossing astrophotography spot nearby (we don't have any cool foregrounds like barns/churches/windmills in fields close enough). I decided to do a timelapse of 13-second exposures at 800ISO when the aurora levels were still fairly low on the horizon, and I opted to not change the view or the settings as things progressed higher and brighter. This resulted in a couple of frames with the reds actually *blown out*:
I stacked in a shot of the crossing gates coming down for a train:
I stacked in a shot of the crossing gates coming down for a train:
Randy Zipser
EF4
Nice photos, guys! I'd love to do some aurora photography someday! I've only seen one aurora in KS/OK years ago while storm chasing, but live too far south today. Didn't see anything Tuesday night or last night in Central FL where I live (but I do have some light pollution in my neighborhood). However, this event was actually visible well down into the panhandle and northern peninsula of FL (see link below):
Your photos of the northern lights over Florida (Nov. 11, 2025)
Your photos of the northern lights over Florida (Nov. 11, 2025)
Brett Roberts
EF5
After hauling north to C KS for 2024-05-10, and N IA for 2024-10-10, I ended up much more local for this one because it was the "day before the day" that came through unexpectedly. After DISCOVR measured Bz pegging -50 nT around sunset, I had just enough time to drive down to the Wichita Mountains near Lawton, OK, and get some photos I've been vaguely envisioning (but doubting would ever happen) for years. Here are a couple.
Solar Cycle 25 has been much kinder to us already than SC24, and I guess there's still potential for more high-end shows over the next year or so. I know there have been a lot of huge solar flares in 2025 that missed Earth, which is frustrating. But one thing I have to appreciate about SC25 is that all three of its extreme geomagnetic storms thus far have come from CMEs that (1) hit during the afternoon U.S. time, giving us advance notice of big shows right after dusk and not forcing a difficult choice on whether to stay up all night; and (2) had clear skies somewhere within reachable driving distance for many of us in the central US. In this case, I got down to the Wichitas around 7p, and had my fill of photographing various spots successfully by 11p. With a mid-week event like this one, if you shifted everything 6 hours later, I'm not sure I would've had it in me to stay out in my car overnight without any assurances that aurora capable of reaching impressive levels in OK/TX were likely.
Solar Cycle 25 has been much kinder to us already than SC24, and I guess there's still potential for more high-end shows over the next year or so. I know there have been a lot of huge solar flares in 2025 that missed Earth, which is frustrating. But one thing I have to appreciate about SC25 is that all three of its extreme geomagnetic storms thus far have come from CMEs that (1) hit during the afternoon U.S. time, giving us advance notice of big shows right after dusk and not forcing a difficult choice on whether to stay up all night; and (2) had clear skies somewhere within reachable driving distance for many of us in the central US. In this case, I got down to the Wichitas around 7p, and had my fill of photographing various spots successfully by 11p. With a mid-week event like this one, if you shifted everything 6 hours later, I'm not sure I would've had it in me to stay out in my car overnight without any assurances that aurora capable of reaching impressive levels in OK/TX were likely.
Matt Zumbrunn
EF2
I can't remember in my lifetime seeing them as vivid at times as I saw them Tuesday evening. I don't have much light pollution at my house so it was enjoyable to set outside and watch the show.
Jeff House
Supporter
Here is my best picture from Tuesday. Though Wednesday was nice again up North I did not go out again. Note my Tennessee location.
Naked eye I thought those greens were fog or something. I'm a little south for green, though we saw blotchy green May 10, 2024. The green curtain was a pleasant surprise this year. Purple pillars beyond the glow were visible very briefly a couple times naked eye.
I'll throw in some fall foliage from a couple weeks ago near Ocoee, Tenn.
Two bonus shots of 2025 fall color!
Naked eye I thought those greens were fog or something. I'm a little south for green, though we saw blotchy green May 10, 2024. The green curtain was a pleasant surprise this year. Purple pillars beyond the glow were visible very briefly a couple times naked eye.
I'll throw in some fall foliage from a couple weeks ago near Ocoee, Tenn.
Two bonus shots of 2025 fall color!
Andy Wehrle
EF5
Slept through the big event on Tuesday night, thinking the CME wasn't going to arrive until midday Wednesday. The lights were still out Wednesday evening, but not quite as intense. Still, only my second time photographing an aurora after October of last year. Was hoping to shoot a timelapse with my DSLR (since I'd learned from last year that video footage with my 4K camcorder, even at slowest shutter and near-maximum gain, barely brings out the lights - only slightly better than the naked eye) but got out there and found its battery was dead. Had to make do with my Pixel 9 Pro.
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 1 by Andy, on Flickr
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 2 by Andy, on Flickr
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 3 by Andy, on Flickr
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 4 by Andy, on Flickr
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 5 by Andy, on Flickr
Northern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 1 by Andy, on FlickrNorthern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 2 by Andy, on FlickrNorthern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 3 by Andy, on FlickrNorthern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 4 by Andy, on FlickrNorthern Lights near Black Earth, WI 11/12/2025 5 by Andy, on Flickr
Randy Zipser
EF4
This event was faintly visible from the Tampa Bay area (about 90 miles south of my location) on Tuesday night, especially along dark stretches of the Gulf beaches. It defies logic that a polar phenomenon could be seen from the tropics, at 28 degrees north latitude! Here's a link with photos from the local rag, Tampa Bay Times: We saw the northern lights in Tampa Bay last night. It could be similar tonight
