Northern lights over Germany: natural spectacle lights up the sky!

Northern lights over Germany: natural spectacle lights up the sky!

On the night of Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the sky over Germany shone in an impressive play of colors as the northern lights moved across the night landscape. This fascinating natural spectacle was triggered by a violent solar storm that hit Earth the previous night. Especially in the east and south of Germany, people were able to enjoy purple and red lights. That's what she reported RND that early risers in Bavaria were able to admire the spectacle even in the early hours of the morning.

The view of the spectacle in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, where the sky was lit up in brilliant red, was impressive. The natural spectacle was also clearly visible in Berlin, especially in the Lichtenrade district. Saxony also offered a good view of the northern lights, and the “Sächsische Zeitung” published impressive pictures. Social network users were busy sharing, with numerous photos and comments gracing the platforms.

A rare sight and possible repeats

“The northern lights are not just a visual experience, they are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun that hit the earth’s magnetic field,” explains Carolin Liefke from the Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg. Conditions could bring northern lights again over the next two nights, provided the weather cooperates. Northern lights are particularly popular in the northern regions, but southern Germany also occasionally benefits from strong geomagnetic storms. In the past, these have already caused sightings as far away as Brandenburg in October 2025 and in the Märkisch-Oderland district in April 2025.

The solar storm that caused the brilliant light show was classified as a so-called ground level event (GLE) - a rare event that only occurs once or twice per solar cycle. Dr. Volker Bothmer from the Institute for Astrophysics at the University of Göttingen sees a connection between the strong solar activity and the visibility of the lights. “The first solar storms in this phase reached us on November 11th and 12th,” he explains.

Preparations for exciting celestial spectacles

The Sun is currently in a phase of maximum activity that returns every eleven years. This activity is clearly reflected in the number of sunspots, with more sunspots being an indicator of increased solar activity. The waves of charged particles can reach Earth in just a few days and enable such extraordinary celestial spectacles as the northern lights. Not only can these phenomena produce delightful colors in the sky, but they can also have an impact on infrastructure, such as power grids and satellites Max Planck Institute.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasts shed light on possible future aurora sightings. A G2 geomagnetic storm warning has been issued for today, with a potential increase to G3 overnight. These storm levels mean stronger auroras up to 50 degrees geomagnetic latitude. This means there is still a chance that people in Germany can experience even more of this fantastic natural spectacle.

In conclusion, such celestial events remind us again and again how exciting and colorful our universe can be. So every look up is a journey to the wonders of nature.