On Nov. 11, vivid Northern Lights were visible across much of South Dakota, with sightings reported in towns including Aberdeen and Watertown. The displays followed a strong geomagnetic storm caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun. Auroras were seen unusually far south — as far as Florida — and many residents photographed the colorful skies. Local images capture the dramatic, multicolored curtains of light that filled the night.
Stunning Northern Lights Illuminate South Dakota — Residents Capture Vivid Photos
On Nov. 11, vivid Northern Lights were visible across much of South Dakota, with sightings reported in towns including Aberdeen and Watertown. The displays followed a strong geomagnetic storm caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun. Auroras were seen unusually far south — as far as Florida — and many residents photographed the colorful skies. Local images capture the dramatic, multicolored curtains of light that filled the night.
02:13 AM, 11/13/2025Science
Vivid Aurora Lights Up South Dakota Skies
On the night of Nov. 11, residents across much of South Dakota stepped outside to witness a spectacular display of the Northern Lights. Communities from Aberdeen to Watertown and beyond reported bright, colorful auroras that transformed the night sky into sweeping bands of green, purple and red.
The light show followed a powerful geomagnetic storm triggered when a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun reached Earth’s magnetic environment. That CME, which erupted from the sun earlier in the week, produced auroras visible across a broad swath of North America — unusually far south in some places, with reports as far down as Florida, according to USA TODAY and the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
What caused it: Geomagnetic storms occur when high-speed solar particles and magnetic fields from a CME interact with Earth’s magnetosphere, energizing atmospheric gases and creating the glowing curtains known as the aurora.
Local photographers and skywatchers captured the event on camera, sharing memorable images of the swirling lights above rural horizon lines and city rooftops. Below are selections of images provided by South Dakota residents showing the Northern Lights filling the sky on Nov. 11.
Reporting contributions: Dinah Voyles Pulver. Original photos and reporting appeared on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and USA TODAY.