Powerful geomagnetic storm bathes Lake Balaton and Hungary in otherworldly glow – photos, video

A ferocious G4 geomagnetic storm slammed into Hungary overnight, painting the evening sky with breathtaking displays. Feast your eyes on our gallery of the Northern Lights turning the frozen expanse of Lake Balaton into a celestial canvas.

Balaton’s ice shimmers in unearthly light

According to Időkép, the aurora borealis conjured an Arctic scene over the iced-over lake. Footage captured the spectacle from Balatonfenyves—see how it looked. Their article showcases views from Balatonmáriafürdő and Balatonberény too. Mercifully, clear skies prevailed, with neither clouds nor fog to spoil the show.

But what exactly is a geomagnetic storm? When a plume of charged particles erupts from the Sun’s roiling plasma and hurtles towards Earth at breakneck speed, those particles inevitably pierce our planet’s magnetosphere. Yesterday’s event was a brute: a 4 on the five-point scale, severe enough to rattle the experts.

Almost nuclear war due to a strong geomagnetic storm

Proof lies in the footage—not just reddish-purple hues, but vibrant green too. That means solar particles energised oxygen atoms deep in the atmosphere’s lower layers.

Why don’t these tempests wreak havoc on Earth? Our magnetic field deflects the solar plasma blasts, funneling charged particles into the atmosphere only at the poles.

Here are some more photos from Etes in Nógrád County:

Even so, such storm can cause serious disruptions. Take 1967: military chiefs ignored warnings of a massive solar storm disrupting radars and comms, nearly sparking nuclear Armageddon.

The Aurora Borealis over Salgótarján:

Nowadays, even a G4-like geomagnetic storm remains “undetected” by ordinary citizens. For example, it did not cause any disruptions at Budapest Airport in 2024.