All we can see of the sun right now is its intense, melting heat, with temperatures close to 35 degrees in the capital. But our friend also has a beautiful sunspot, christened AR3766, on its surface, and has recently been sending out some intense flares, on their way to Earth. We'll have to wait and see whether the aurora borealis resurfaces in our latitudes, but in any case, it won't be as impressive as last May's!
This unforgettable night is unlikely to happen again on this scale, as conditions were particularly good - a rare occurrence. This time, the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, and clouds are likely to spoil the show if the eruptions seen on Saturday arrive on the evening of Tuesday July 30, 2024. If you want to try your luck, you'll need to avoid urban lighting as much as possible, and look northwards to hope to observe the phenomenon.
It's hard to tell them apart with the naked eye, but pull out your phone or camera and try a few seconds' exposure. If you see red pillars in your shot, you're in luck - it's an aurora borealis, says COMEA (Centre Opérationnel de Météorologie de l'Espace des Alpes)! In any case, we'll soon be able to observe a sublime gift from the heavens, the Perseids, in mid-August!
In the meantime, here's what happened in the United States:
