March 13th 2026: Aurora Burst

Auroras love equinoxes, and last night a fast solar wind with negative Bz hit Earth’s magnetosphere sparking a substorm.

I saw the substorm building on the Goes Magnetometer, so I set up a timelapse sequence. The color came quick and fast, lasting just a few minutes. I also checked the Snowmass webcams and there was a nice curtain of color. Exciting and unexpected!

11:10 pm MDT March 13, 2026 (5:10 UTC March 14 2026) West Elk Mountains, Colorado