On October 10, 2024, just after sunset, multiple WHS students ran outside to catch a glimpse of the northern lights.

As expected, the result was spectacular with shades of pink, green, blue, and purple all mixed in the colorful sky. 

“It was totally rad!” a ninth grader exclaimed when asked about the show. 

The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that “a fast coronal mass ejection (CME)” had “erupted from the sun” and had the “potential to reach G4 levels upon arrival.”

In short, the event was caused by an extremely rare geomagnetic solar storm, explains the NOAA’s SWPC, bringing the lights to Connecticut and giving many the chance to see the display from their own homes.

“It was truly incredible—the lights and being able to experience such a wondrous phenomenon in my lifetime,” said Emma Kong, a ninth-grader at Wilton High School.

Although the strongest show of the northern lights was yesterday, students who did not get to see them may view the lights tonight.