EAGAR, Ariz. — Some very lucky viewers had the opportunity Sunday night to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights right here in Arizona.
It doesn't often happen this far south.
“It's always been a bucket list item for me," said Robert Ray of R & M Photography.
Robert Ray lives in Eagar and has attempted to capture the aurora borealis the rare time it was forecasted in Arizona, but he's always struck out.
“I always thought if I was going to see the Northern Lights, I was gonna have to travel to Iceland or Canada or Alaska," Ray said.
Ray said his grandpa, who grew up in Jerome, used to tell stories of seeing aurora in Arizona.
“That was back in the '30s and '40s when there was a lot less light pollution than there is now," Ray said.
Then came Sunday night.
“My mom called me and said I should go try," Ray recalled.
Lo and behold, he captured the stunning lights from his backyard in Eagar.
“When that first image showed up on the display on my camera, my jaw dropped," Ray said. "I called my wife and said, 'You need to come down here.'”
It wasn't as clear to the naked eye, but through his lens, it was magic.
“Thinking that in the past, I'd have to travel to get it, that I was able to get it here in Arizona, let alone just right in my backyard holds a special place," Ray said.
'It's very possible that people are going to get the chance to see aurora more in Arizona'
Katrina Bossert is an assistant professor at ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration.
“It's really exciting for people this far south to be able to see the Northern Lights," Bossert said.
Bossert used to live in Alaska, where she saw aurora, but has yet to see them here.
“Northern Lights happen when we get a disruption in Earth's magnetic field and a buildup of energy," Bossert explained. "And then we get the snapback and a huge precipitation of energetic particles into Earth's atmosphere.”
Those particles lead to light.
Bossert said Sunday night's viewing in Arizona was due to an exceptionally strong geomagnetic storm. Because of where we are in the solar cycle, approaching solar maximum, we could see more. With that comes more opportunities to see the Northern Lights.
"We can expect to see a few a year of this strength," Bossert said. "It's very possible that people are going to get the chance to see aurora more in Arizona, and in the next year or two."
For those hoping to see the Northern Lights the next time they are visible in Arizona, Bossert recommends following the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, which tracks geomagnetic storms.
She advises going somewhere very dark because, especially this far south, they are not very bright.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Una aurora boreal hace una rara aparición en Arizona
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