The Northern Lights phenomenon appeared in the Morongo Basin this weekend, and though the solar storm continues this week, visibility of the phenomenon in our area is expected to diminish.
The effects of what meteorologists are calling the largest geomagnetic solar storm in twenty years are creating the phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis in areas where they are not usually present, including here in southern California.
In our area, the unusual lights were brightest on Friday night, bringing hues of lavender and violet to the desert night sky in the late hours of the night. The lights were visible to the naked eye at the further edges of our desert community, where there is less light pollution, and cameras were able to photograph the lights when they were invisible.
Traffic throughout the hi-desert was heavier than average over the weekend, as people from all over California came to Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding community to escape light pollution.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather forecast says that the solar storm is expected to gradually wane today through Tuesday, so as the sun sets and the coyotes start calling keep your eyes on the skies for what may be one last glimpse of the aurora borealis.
