Electrified gas spewed from the sun formed an intense geomagnetic storm last week, delighting skygazers in Wyoming and across the globe with a historic viewing of brilliant auroras.  

While beautiful, the solar storm caused disruptions or irregularities in certain radio signals, power grids, high-speed communication and even tractors’ navigational systems. Still, it didn’t wreak as much havoc as a much larger storm in 2003, which caused power outages and airline communication disruptions. Nor did it do as much damage as the largest recorded storm in 1859 that caused mass outages of telegraph communications. 

While there’s much more to explore about the sun’s cycles and the effects of solar flares, WyoFile wanted to focus on the undulating greens, pinks and purples of the northern lights seen across Wyoming. We asked our readers to share their aurora photos, and many responded. Check out contributed photos from all around the state below.

  • Two shadow figures stare out at the northern lights
    Sunny Divide Highway 14, West of Sundance (Tina Wood)
  • Northern lights over a house surrounded by dark fields
    Lander (Rose Vowles)
  • Aurora borealis behind trees
    Cora (Bill Stuble, edited by Brad Cheese)
  • Purple streaks from the northern lights behind trees
    Casper (Carolyn Griffith)
  • The moon shines bright next to pink and orange auroras
    North of Cody, Southeast of Heart Mountain (Mike Roberts)
  • Green and pink auroras above a treeline
    Casper (Ronald Shosh)
  • Green aurora in the night sky over trees
    Wilson (Paul O’Brien)
  • Stars and northern lights behind a copse of trees
    Alta (Chi Melville)
  • A sign that says "Wyoming's Wildlife" backlit by the northern lights
    Red Canyon Overlook (Scott Kane)
  • Aurora borealis over Laramie
    Laramie (Rob Godby)
  • Looking into an aurora borealis overhead
    Casper (Ronald Shosh)
  • Aurora borealis behind Devils Tower silhouette
    Devils Tower (Tina Wood)
  • Green and pink streaks in the sky above Casper
    Casper (Ronald Shosh)
  • Northern lights over the Teton Mountains
    Jackson (Alexander Muromcew)
  • Layers of northern lights
    Alta (Chi Melville)
  • Northern lights over Lander
    Lander (Scott Kane)

Madelyn Beck reports from Laramie on health and public safety. Before working with WyoFile, she was a public radio journalist reporting for NPR stations across the Mountain West, covering regional issues...

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