From monks to TikTok: how auroras were spotted, snapped and shared—and why the aurora in May 2024 ranks as the 3rd biggest in 400 years.
May 2024 gave us the most extensive aurora seen in modern times - but how does it compare with other such events seen in recorded history? Who reports aurora has changed at lot over the years, evolving from chroniclers of history, to clergymen and doctors, gentlemen scientists, lighthouse keepers, space scientists and recently to the public. The ways they are mainly reported has also changed from ancient manuscripts, to newspapers, air ministry documents, academic journals and, in recent years, social media.
With the advent of digital cameras on mobile phones many people now have the ready means to accurately record their observations. However light pollution and AI fakes are growing problems. The long-term change in Earth's magnetic field has had a major effect on where aurora occurs. All this brings complexity to comparisons of the number and locations where aurora is observed - nevertheless, from careful analysis of the various factors, we estimate that the aurora seen on 10-11 May 2024 was the third most extensive seen in the past 400 years.
As well as comparing the great events in recorded history, this talk will discuss at how aurora forms and why it sometimes is seen so far away from its normal locations closer to the poles. The talk will also touch upon the "space weather" effects that these events have on modern technological systems.