This is the second major aurora event visible from Chicago in as many years, something I never expected I’d get to witness. I saw a post on Bluesky confirming the major solar storm many had been tracking was staring to hit earth around sunset and grabbed my things to race to the Lake with Jenna.

Being able to gather light over a few seconds means my camera shows the aurora brighter than it appeared to the naked eye, however this one was clearly visible waving brightly in the sky even without the help of technology. We stood in awe for about an hour before it started to fade, making our way home as traffic to Montrose Beach started to reach a crescendo.