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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
)
Sponsored message
(
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
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
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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
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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