# German Aurora Photos Show Electron Streams Linking Red and Green Arcs

- Published: 2026-11-07 00:37 UTC
- Section: Sky & Space › Space
- Tags: stable auroral red arc, stable auroral green arc, electron precipitation, Annales Geophysicae, geomagnetic superstorm
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-51ecc9559aee3ff8eac4cf49_german_aurora_photos/

**High-resolution photography from the May 2024 storm revealed continuous rays connecting SAR arcs to newly identified Stable Auroral Green arcs.**

![German Aurora Photos Show Electron Streams Linking Red and Green Arcs](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/11e06e5dbac68d14.jpg)
*Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0*

High-resolution ground photographs of auroras observed over Germany during the geomagnetic superstorm of May 10–11, 2024, have provided new data on the formation of stable auroral red (SAR) arcs. Researchers from institutions in Göttingen and Braunschweig documented the display during intense substorms, reporting their findings in Annales Geophysicae. The images revealed structural continuity between high-altitude red glows and lower-altitude green emissions [1].

## Continuous Rays Across Altitudes

The photographs captured brightness streaks and rays extending continuously from the high-altitude SAR arcs down into the underlying green auroral layers [1]. While green auroral emissions typically occur at altitudes between 85 and 130 kilometers, SAR arcs can extend hundreds of kilometers higher. The visual continuity of these rays indicates that energetic electron precipitation traveling along Earth's magnetic field lines drives both emission layers simultaneously [1].

## Identification of SAG Arcs

Both the red and green emissions exhibited a diffuse morphology during the event [1]. Based on these observations, researchers concluded that instabilities in high-energy ring current particles within the plasmasphere, followed by wave-particle interactions, serve as the most probable driver of the precipitating electrons. The analysis identified the underlying 5577 Å diffuse emission beneath the SAR arcs as a distinct phenomenon, which the authors designated as Stable Auroral Green (SAG) arcs [1]. The team noted that short photographic exposures of six seconds or less were essential to prevent structural blurring of the rays.

## Sources

1. [Annales Geophysicae](https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-1201-2026)
2. [knowridge.com](https://knowridge.com/2026/11/aurora-photographs-reveal-a-possible-shared-source-for-red-and-green-light)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-51ecc9559aee3ff8eac4cf49_german_aurora_photos/