Northern lights in the sky of Indre-et-Loire: something very rare

When we talk to him about the Northern Lights, Jérémy Métivier has stars in his eyes. This young photographer from Lochois has taken a lot of interest phenomena seen in the sky. On the night of Thursday October 10 to Friday October 11, he set up with his camera near the Lakes to immortalize them. “It was really amazing, we could see them with the naked eye. Of this intensity, it is very rare”he misses it.

That night, he wasn’t the only photographer pointing his lens skyward. Enthusiasts from all over Indre-et-Loire captured the sceneproviding impressive images of the Château de Chenonceau under a purple hue or the fields lit in a warm red light.

The author of this particular image, Julien Moisy had already captured the Northern Lights in May (1). “I went to Bréhémont on the banks of the Loire. This time, I thought it would be nice to have a change and a castle! I looked quickly on the Internet and saw the long walk along the Cher: it was possible to take a picture there going north,” tells about the photographer from Véron, now based in Vouvray.

If it is «content» from his photo taken at 10:13pm on Thursday, he knows however that the conditions were not ideal. “I couldn’t enjoy the best time because it was cloudy. I even left at 11:30pm I was a bit disappointed, especially since this time we couldn’t see the Northern Lights with the naked eye,” he specifies.

“They are rarely found at our latitude”

“It’s in an unusual orderadmits Aurélien Charron, of theCenter Weather Association-Val de Loire. Of this size, we see it maybe once every ten years. »

This is something we see more in the Nordic countries or in the north of Europe, near the Arctic Circle. “They are rarely found at our latitude”trust Aurélien Charron.

To find an explanation, we must look towards the sun. His activity has been very intense for several months and solar flares release many particles that come into contact with the Earth’s magnetic field. “When the magnetic field is weak, matter rubs against the atmosphere and forms a plasma”he says. Which gives these colors from red to green depending on the level of the atmosphere.

For a chance to see it here, the phenomenon must be very intense, with a Kp index (used to determine how likely it is to see the polar auroras) around 8 ( for a scale up to 10). “It’s mostly connected to the cycles of the sun (which lasts eleven years on average). Until next year, we’re on a really high note.”developing Aurélien Charron. Which still leaves a few months to look at them.

Several days to enjoy

The conditions must still be met. It’s all a question of timing for the Météo Centre-Val de Loire financier. When an eruption is detected, it often takes two to three days before it is visible from our planet. But for this, you also need darkness, avoid light pollution and, above all, no clouds.

To make it even more visible, Jérémy Métivier works in a long exposure, between twenty and twenty-five seconds. On Thursday, he set between 1 am and 2 am. “After that, I only touch the details but not the colors. “he says. Photos that he then shares on his social networks. Last night and the following ones, the Lochois had again planned to look up to the sky, the activity of the sun still strong for a few days.

Julien Lucas and Valerie Pernette