Northern Lights Hit Campus

Students were able to see the aurora borealis.

The Northern Lights shining over the campus baseball field.Photo by Rigby Gee '26

Students were treated to an astral light show last week, when the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, became visible briefly on Oct. 7 and again on Oct. 10. The sky was lit up with bright greens and blues, with flashes every couple of minutes.

The higher levels of light can be traced back to the sun. On Oct 1, an X7.1 solar flare occurred, followed by an X9 on Oct. 3. Much like earthquakes and the Richter scale, solar flares are measured in magnitude by times of ten. Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space.

These particles are deflected towards the poles of Earth by our planet's magnetic field, and they interact with our atmosphere — the reaction causes the particles to glow, creating the luminescence that most people are familiar with.

Students gathered informally at the river, with many bringing high-end camera equipment. The borealis was not quite visible to the naked eye on either day, but when viewed with a camera through a high-exposure lens, the sky lit up. Luckily, the sky remained clear all night, allowing for perfect pictures.

The environment was very low-key, even featuring some gentle tunes from somebody’s speaker. 

“Whoever’s playing the music, you are perfectly fitting the vibe,” said Joe Catalanello ‘26. 

An aurora borealis lit up the night sky on Oct. 10 over Lavelle Hall. Photo by Cora Flynn '26

Aside from the murmur of conversation, most of the students were quiet, enjoying the tranquility of the night. 

There was no official Marist College presence down at the river, and certain students took advantage of that, crawling down the rocks until they were right at river level. Other students stuck to the pier, the outcropping providing a good angle to avoid light pollution. People came and went as the night went on, as friends invited more friends, and others grew tired or cold. 

Even as the borealis faded, many students remained, with some taking pictures of the stars while applying the same trick of low-exposure lenses. 

For some, the unexpected light show made their day much better. 

“This saved my night,” said Jessica Stanczak ‘26. 

If you missed the lights, don’t worry — there will be many more chances to view them. NASA reports that the sun is nearing the peak of its solar cycle, which means there will be more instances to see the borealis. NASA expects the highest peak next year, in 2025.