Aurora viewers share stunning Northern Lights photos

The sun is in a sharing mood and aurora watchers are enjoying the glow. Our nearest star has been spewing flares and sending solar material toward Earth, where it is creating some of the brightest and widest-ranging auroras in years. Thursday night was a particularly wild spectacle, with the northern lights stretching all the way to the US.

We've gathered aurora views from across the country, from CNET staffers and their families and friends — and even one from space. Enjoy the colorful, swirling lights and keep an eye on recommendations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center for aurora predictions. The sun will remain geomagnetically moody, giving skywatchers more opportunities to catch the Northern Lights.

International Space Station

One of the most awe-inspiring views of the aurora came from the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared a photo on X showing parts of the ISS in the foreground with a bright green and red aurora dancing over the Earth below.

“Impressive was the word” Pettit wrote. “It looked like the space station had been reduced to a miniature size and inserted into a neon sign. We weren't flying above the dawn; we were flying at dawn. And it was blood red.” Pettit used a Nikon Z9 for the photo.

Virginia

CNET's James Bricknell used the astrophotography setup on a Google Pixel Fold to capture a bright purple aurora in far northern Virginia.

Kansas

CNET's Chris Wedel witnessed the changing red and green colors of the aurora in Lyon County, Kansas. This image is of a Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold using the Night Sight setting – read CNET's tips on taking better night mode photos here.

Kari Wedel used a portable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 with an automatic night mode setting to get this view of the aurora along with the green leaves of the trees in the foreground.

South Carolina

The aurora lit up the sky in Tega Cay, South Carolina, creating a pink glow over the water. CNET's Erica Devaney used an iPhone 15 Pro for this preview.

New Mexico

The aurora extended south on Thursday. This blush-like auroral glow was seen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a scrubby desert landscape below. Virginia Thompson captured the view with a Moto G Power phone.

new York

This serene scene shows a green and purple aurora reflected in the water. CNET's Richard Peterson captured this beauty with an iPhone 14 Pro using a 1-second exposure in Monroe, New York.

The red dawn hangs over a house with illuminated windows. It took 3 seconds with an iPhone 14 Pro for CNET's Jeffrey Hazelwood to capture this scene in the Catskill Mountains.

Pennsylvania

The lights of dawn appeared at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Dean Myers used an iPhone 15 to detect this ethereal red-purple glow.

Missouri

Ciearra Jackson's iPhone 14 Pro Max produced a stunning photo highlighting tall trees in the foreground with a resplendent aurora reaching the sky above Hillsboro, Missouri.

Angie Olive's iPhone 13 captured this dance of green and red lights in Festus, Missouri.

Oregon

The photo of Sarah Marcus was taken in a field in Dundee, Oregon, using a Samsung Galaxy S10, manual settings, ISO 500, 26mm, f/2.4 with a 20 second exposure.

Alaska

In the far north, Alaska had a fabulous display of the northern lights in its skies.