The aurora is a breathtaking natural phenomenon, typically occurring near the polar regions. However, when intense solar winds produce significant geomagnetic storms, lower latitude areas might also have the chance to witness the aurora. Starting from May 11, 2024, the Earth will be affected by a strong geomagnetic storm. In addition to potentially disrupting communications, this storm might also allow auroras to be seen in places where they are usually invisible. After hearing this news, I began monitoring an aurora forecasting app. After 11 PM, when I saw the probability of seeing the aurora rise above 1%, we quickly headed to a higher altitude with a glimmer of hope.
At first, we didn’t see anything, but after some research, I realized that the aurora might not be very visible to the naked eye and might only appear as faint white lights in the sky. It would be necessary to use a camera to see it clearly. After adjusting the settings on my phone’s camera, we finally managed to capture a purple aurora. Due to our latitude, the aurora’s color here wasn’t the green typically seen in the polar regions.

Seeing the aurora has always been a dreamlike fantasy, as it requires the right timing, location, and conditions. Experiencing this in Switzerland was truly astonishing and a rare, serendipitous event.

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