11.5.01 Rapid City, SD

11.5.01
Rapid City, South Dakota

A major geomagnetic storm took place overnight. A coronal mass ejection hit our planet around 7pm MDT and generated the most impressive aurora activity I have ever seen. The display lasted from a little after 7 pm until about 2 am. The interplanetary magnetic field (Bz) was pointed south when the CME hit, which can lead to strong aurora activity. Reports of aurora came in from Texas, Arizona and Southern California. The visibility map shows just how widespread the aurora was. The Kp index reached a value of 8. Kp values of 6 -7 are needed for aurora to be visible in the South Dakota area.

The images below were taken from my house in west Rapid City. The aurora showed up incredibly well even with the city lights. A bright gibbous moon rose around 930 pm, but the aurora still remained clearly visible.

Click on images to view a larger version