Aurora from Northern Germany

From the photographer: “A few days before April 23, 2023, a strong coronal mass ejection on the Sun led to picturesque auroras on Earth. The phenomena could be experienced not only in northern Germany, but also as far as southern Europe, and later in Texas and Arizona in the southern USA, when night fell there. Over a period of more than three hours, individual green, rapidly pulsating clouds of light could be seen even in the bright evening twilight, flanked by long deep red arcs. As darkness progressed, the colors of the apparition were clearly visible visually, in the southwest, beyond the zenith, and in the meridian in the constellation Leo at an altitude of 45 degrees above the southern horizon. At 54.4° northern latitude this can be considered as very rare. The island of Hiddensee can be seen on the horizon.

In the western sky the narrow crescent moon and Venus met. The light of the moon additionally illuminated the landscape of the National Park Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft and the islands Hiddensee and Rügen. From the observation tower in Barhöft there is a clear view of the islands Hiddensee and Rügen, and far to the north. Later in the evening low clouds and high veils moved through the northern sky, but half an hour before midnight it cleared up quickly. At the date change from Sunday 22.4. to Monday 23.4.2023 the light show flared up again and even more colorful.”