One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Believe It Or Not, The Northern Lights Hit Southern California Last Night
The Northern Lights visible at Mt. Wilson
(
Courtesy High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network
/
UCSD
)
This weekend's solar storm brought a rare opportunity for many people in the continental U.S. to see bright and vivid northern lights last night.
And while other cities farther north got a better view of the unusually strong solar storm, there were a few viewing places where you could see a glimpse of the aurora borealis close to the horizon.
The city wasn't exactly a prime viewing point, but given the strength of the storm, the lights were visible Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains.
(
Courtesy High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network
/
UCSD
)
(
Courtesy High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network
/
UCSD
)
But the people watching the lights from Mount Wilson in person managed to snap some more impressive pictures.
This may as well be an iPhone ad. Shot from Mount Wilson north of Los Angeles. Never would’ve dreamed of seeing #aurora here, much less capturing it with an iPhone. Breathtaking pic.twitter.com/Gm2oBrFTux
— Daniel Depew (@danieldepew) May 11, 2024
Sponsored message
Aurora Borealis in Los Angeles County pic.twitter.com/cB8hQ4o424
— Michael R. Perry (@PERRYMICHAELR) May 11, 2024
A bit of the aurora borealis in Los Angeles County pic.twitter.com/Qg9zOX3wyo
— Meder Omuraliev (@meder_o) May 11, 2024
And Mount Wilson wasn't the only spot to observe the solar storm — the high desert also had some opportunities to view the lights close to the horizon.
Amazing!!! These are all cell phone shots. Going to find a cool background for the real camera photos. #Auroraborealis pic.twitter.com/dl8XqBC3vj
— FirePhotoGirl (@FirePhotoGirl) May 11, 2024
And for those of us who can't make the trip up to Mount Wilson or another vantage point with low light pollution, never forget that there are cathedrals everywhere with those with the eyes to see.
Beautiful photo of the aurora over Los Angeles ☺️ pic.twitter.com/3OGLvcRdmE
— Evan (@evanponter) May 11, 2024
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
