A strong aurora borealis was recorded over Łódź, central Poland, during the night of 19–20 January 2026. The all-sky timelapse shows a broad red-orange glow with fainter greenish bands and soft moving structures spreading across the northern sky.

Identification

Classified as a strong aurora borealis / geomagnetic storm display based on the wide diffuse glow, reddish auroral colour, visible motion in the timelapse, and very high geomagnetic activity visible in the camera overlay, reaching about Kp 8.3.

External reports

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center reported G4 severe geomagnetic storm levels on 19 January 2026, consistent with aurora visibility far south of the usual auroral zone.

Jagiellonian University Astronomical Observatory described the 19/20 January aurora as visible across Poland, including central and southern regions.

GLOWS / Space Research Centre PAS linked the event to a strong solar flare and CME that reached Earth and produced auroras at unusually low latitudes.

Verification

NOAA SWPC — X-class flare activity confirmed an X1.9-class solar flare from active region NOAA AR 4341 on 18 January 2026.

SIDC / Solar Influences Data Analysis Centre reported that the flare was associated with a fast full-halo coronal mass ejection, estimated at roughly 1500–1800 km/s.

NASA CCMC CME Scoreboard recorded CME arrival forecasts and solar-wind conditions around the event, supporting the connection between the solar eruption and the geomagnetic storm.

Note

The moving bands in the timelapse are not the solar wind itself, but the visible atmospheric response to solar particles and magnetic disturbances reaching Earth.

Aurora over Łódź during G4 geomagnetic storm — Jan 19, 2026

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