Arizona photographer captures rare Northern Lights occurrence in U.S. southwest

FLORENCE, Ariz. - The Northern Lights have been a little less northern lately with visibility reported in parts of the southwestern United States.

Solar flares that burst out of the sun - some that measure 124,000 miles wide - release energy particles towards the earth's atmosphere, causing the light show. The recent volume and frequency have caused more areas of the planet to catch a glimpse of the colorful light displays.

"I've been getting photos from friends around the world who are showing me photos from their backyards at latitudes that are not much different from ours in Arizona," says Arizona-based astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy.

He started taking photos in 2017 on a whim, buying a telescope right before the eclipse that year. After looking at the sky from his home in Florence, he was hooked.

"I built an observatory in my backyard," he says. "I use that observatory to explore the wonders of the universe. I'm known for detailed photos of the moon and the sun, but also do a lot of great photos of galaxies and nebulas."

I try to go deeper than you'd expect from an amateur and try to incorporate a little bit of artistry into it so that the astrophotography it isn't all dry and science-y, like a lot of stuff that comes from institutions."

More of Andrew's photos can be found on his website.

What makes this event special?

An event like the aurora being visible in parts of the southwest, he says is something that happens maybe every few decades.

"The aurora is an interesting, ambiguous thing. It's not like a light switch where it flicks on and flicks off. What happens is these coronal mass ejections spread out and start peppering earth's atmosphere with particles," he said.

Astrophotographer works to capture rare aurora in AZ

An Arizona-based astrophotographer is working to capture an extraordinary occurrence of Northern Lights that could be seen as far south as Arizona.

"Those particles will come and they'll go and as a result this aurora may fade in and pop a few times as big mass of particles hit earth's atmosphere and then it will fade out again."

McCarthy believes it will be visible for the entire weekend.

He said the first of six coronal mass ejections hit this afternoon and each one will bring a new opportunity to view the light show.

"If you're in an area with a clear view of the horizon, you actually might be able to see it," he said.

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The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, glow on the horizon at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the North East coast. (Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)

The solar flare could have some strange side-effects but McCarthy says the earth's magnetic field will protect us from most of it.

"This is a lot of energy," he said. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

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