While the UAE may have missed the northern lights, one Abu Dhabi astronomer captured something equally remarkable: giant flames bursting from the surface of the sun at the onset of the strongest solar storm to hit Earth in 20 years.
Mohammed Odeh, chairman of the International Astronomy Centre (IAC), shared striking images of the enormous sunspot responsible for the "extreme" geomagnetic storm. Photographed from the IAC's Astronomical Seal Observatory in Abu Dhabi, the images show both the giant sunspot cluster and the massive solar flares erupting from it.
The Sunspot Behind the UAE Solar Storm
The sunspot cluster at the centre of this event is staggering in scale — 17 times wider than Earth. Over two days, it produced four powerful solar flares, each releasing coronal mass ejections (CMEs) aimed directly at Earth. Scientists warned that such CMEs have the potential to disrupt power grids and satellites.
Odeh described the images as showing "the huge sunspot" that generated the geomagnetic storm — the highest-level event to impact Earth in the last two decades.
How Solar Flares Trigger the Aurora Borealis
When CMEs reach Earth, they disturb the planet's magnetic field and give rise to the aurora borealis — the northern lights. The four flares were recorded at the following UAE times:
- 1:00 PM, May 9 - 10:00 PM, May 9 - 10:54 AM, May 10 - 5:23 AM, May 11
Each successive emission sent charged particles toward Earth, extending the geomagnetic storm across multiple days and producing auroras visible at unusually low latitudes across the northern hemisphere.
Aurora Sightings Across the Northern Hemisphere
The northern lights appeared across regions that rarely, if ever, see them — a direct result of the storm's intensity. While residents of the UAE were unable to observe the aurora due to the country's low latitude, Odeh's photographs from Abu Dhabi provided a front-row view of the storm's origin: the violent, flame-throwing surface of the sun itself.
Additional CME arrivals were projected in the days following, sustaining elevated geomagnetic activity and the potential for further aurora sightings at mid-latitudes.
