On February 16, 2026, a small geomagnetic storm painted the night sky over Iceland and eastern Canada with a glowing ribbon of auroras, and one sharp-eyed satellite spotted the show from above.
What is it?
The image is aurora It shimmered over parts of the Denmark Strait and Canada during a minor (G1) geomagnetic storm. On a five-point scale with G5 (severe) being the highest, G1 is the weakest of the geomagnetic storms, but if conditions are right it can produce vivid auroras at high latitudes.
Magnetic storms occur when charged particles enter from Earth. solar — Because it’s fast solar wind or coronal mass ejection (CME) hit earth’s magnetic fieldcausing a temporary disruption to the Earth’s magnetosphere. During such storms, energetic particles are funneled through Earth’s magnetic field lines towards the poles, where they collide with gases in the upper atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light, resulting in the aurora borealis.
Although this satellite image is in grayscale, lucky skywatchers on the ground likely saw a curtain of green light with magenta and red hues rippling overhead.
The colors of the aurora are caused by gases in the atmosphere that energetic particles collide with. Green is the most common color (and the one easiest for our eyes to spot) and is produced when particles collide with oxygen molecules at heights of about 60 to 90 miles (100 to 300 kilometers). Red auroras occur when solar particles collide with oxygen at high altitudes, typically about 180 to 250 miles (300 to 400 km). Blue and purple auroras are less common and tend to occur during strong geomagnetic storms. They are produced when solar particles collide with nitrogen at altitudes below about 60 miles (100 km).
Where is it?
The first image shows a bright aurora extending from Greenland to Iceland at 11:45 pm ET (4:45 pm GMT on February 16). The second image, taken around 1:30 a.m. ET, shows the aurora over the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Newfoundland, and Labrador. At the bottom of the image you can see the city lights of Montreal spread out.