Scientists Trace 2024 German Aurora's Red and Green Glow to Electron Precipitation
Photographs taken over Braunschweig and Göttingen, Germany, during the geomagnetic superstorm of May 10 and 11, 2024, have allowed scientists to trace the cause of both red and green auroras to a single mechanism. Bruce T. Tsurutani, formerly of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and his colleagues concluded that high-energy electron precipitation—electrons raining down along Earth's magnetic field lines—produced both sets of rays. The study, published on November 3, 2026, in Annales Geophysicae, addresses the long-standing mystery of what causes red auroras. The continuous rays observed in the photographs, taken with consumer cameras, argue against previous explanations involving heat conduction or heavy oxygen ions. This research marks the first time red and green auroras have been shown to be connected by continuous streaks, suggesting a unified cause for their appearance.
