A color spectacle in the sky: Northern lights over the Vogelsberg district!

A color spectacle in the sky: Northern lights over the Vogelsberg district!

On the night of Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the Vogelsberg district experienced a breathtaking spectacle: unusually strong northern lights lit up the sky in bright colors of red, green and blue. A strong solar storm was responsible for this natural spectacle, which also enabled sightings of the Aurora borealis in many other parts of Germany. Reports from Upper Hesse-live According to him, the light displays in Vogelsberg were particularly impressive because the weather conditions were optimal with clear and dark skies.

From Brandenburg to the Alps, enthusiastic spectators were able to watch the sky, where the northern lights were impressively staged. “The geomagnetic storm reached level G4,” explains Markus Bayer, meteorologist at the DWD, in a report ZDF today. This also made it possible to see the unusual light spectacles in cities like Dagebüll, where the colors came through despite the clouds.

The spectacle in Alsfeld

In Alsfeld, numerous residents captured the impressive event with their cell phone cameras. Among them was the cultural representative Simone Schneider, who saw the northern lights on the outskirts of the city in the direction of Leusel. Maria Hoyer also took photos from the town hall, while Celia Arnold documented the spectacle above the Rodenberg. Lisa Knaust was inspired by the bright colors on Homberg. The consistently positive response from those present showed how impressive this natural phenomenon was and how it was shared on social media.

The sightings are part of a larger spectrum caused by the increased solar activity of the current solar cycle. This solar cycle, which extends over a period of about eleven years, involves phases of maximum and minimum activity, which are defined, among other things, by the number of sunspots. How meteorologiaenred shows, geomagnetic storms like the one recently observed are the result of solar flares interacting with the Earth's atmosphere to produce the majestic auroras.

Technical implications

While the spectacle in the sky delighted many, the potential impact on technological systems should not be underestimated. Strong geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellites and affect GPS systems, experts warn. The rapid transport of the eruption cloud, which only took 25 hours to reach Earth, can be assessed as extremely fast. Normally this route lasts between three and four days, which underlines the intensity of this event.

The Northern Lights were a fascinating example of how dynamic and impressive our nature can be. It remains to be hoped that more shooting stars of this kind will light up our nights in the near future.