One of the most common things people around the world share is the excitement of seeing the Northern Lights. Only a few countries get this magical view, so many people travel long distances just to catch a glimpse. This week, the Northern Lights showed up once again — but this time in completely unexpected places— northern Italy and Florida in the US. Scroll down for more details.
Northern Lights Sighted In Italy And USA
So yeah, Northern Lights in Italy 🇮🇹 too!
Right over the Matterhorn
One of the most jaw-dropping mountains on Earth
My solidarity goes out to everyone who, like me, tonight only saw a blank wall and woke up frustrated as a pissed-off baboon 🤣 pic.twitter.com/hJ8IHBWKVu
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) November 12, 2025
It all started on November 11, 2025, when the Sun released two powerful solar flares just a few hours apart. These flares, called coronal ejections (CMEs), sent huge clouds of charged particles racing toward Earth at around 1,500 kilometres per second. According to CNN, the second flare was faster and caught up with the first, creating what scientists call a “cannibal storm.” When these particles hit Earth’s magnetic field, they created the colourful auroras.
People in Italy were delighted to see rare red auroras over places like Valtournenche in the Aosta Valley and near the Matterhorn in the Italian Alps. The red colour comes from oxygen glowing high in the atmosphere, around 200–300 km up, reported Vacation In Italian. At these latitudes, the aurora can look faint to the eyes, but phone cameras make the colours appear bright and dramatic.
As for the US, Americans must be in Alaska or northern states like Minnesota or Montana to see an aurora. But this time, the geomagnetic storm was so strong that the lights dipped far south. According to The Guardian, people in states like Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and more reported seeing shades of red, purple, and pink glowing in the night sky. This level of visibility is extremely rare and only happens during very strong solar storms.
Also Read: You Can Now Get Permanent Residency In The Land Of The Northern Lights— But Theres One Catch!
How These Storms Affect Technology
These geomagnetic storms don’t just create beautiful skies—they can also affect technology. As per CNN, they can disturb satellites, GPS systems, and electricity networks. For example, Blue Origin had to delay NASA’s ESCAPADE mission launch because the solar activity made conditions unsafe for the spacecraft. In past strong storms, transformers have overheated, and GPS machines used in farming faced temporary issues.
Experts at the US Space Weather Prediction Centre said the first two CMEs caused November 12, Tuesday’s auroras, and a third storm arrived on November 13 with solar winds over 950 km per second. Most of this third storm missed Earth.
This week’s unexpected events gave people in Italy and across the US a rare chance to see the Northern Lights.
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Cover Image Courtesy: X/ @mamboitaliano__