An Unforgettable Evening of Extreme Aurora Over Belgium - January 19, 2026

Aurora borealis… in Belgium.

Those words alone already sound unusual — and for good reason.

Belgium is not a country where you regularly expect northern lights. On rare occasions, during strong geomagnetic storms, we might catch a glimpse of a faint reddish glow low on the northern horizon. A subtle smear of color, often barely visible to the naked eye and usually picked up better by cameras than by human eyes.

But January 19, 2026, was something completely different.

A Message That Changed the Evening

Earlier that evening, I received a message in the WhatsApp group of VVS Capella, the astronomical society we are a member of. Several observers were already reporting visible aurora from Belgium — an alert you simply cannot ignore.

I went outside to check the sky, and within seconds it was clear: this wasn’t going to be a normal, subtle aurora event. I quickly set up my camera equipment, knowing this was going to be one of those rare nights where everything comes together.

Realizing how special this moment was, I went back inside and woke up my wife, Sara, and Lotte. This was something we just had to experience together.

A Sky That Defied Expectations

Standing together in the garden, we watched the sky come alive.

A clear red auroral band stretched along the Northern sky — not just visible in long‑exposure photographs, but easily seen with the naked eye. That alone would have been remarkable for Belgium, but the real spectacle was yet to come.

Suddenly, bright green auroral bands began to appear. They were active, dynamic, and fast‑moving — flaring up, shifting shape, and disappearing again within about 20 seconds, only to return moments later in a different part of the sky.

For roughly half an hour, we stood together in the garden, watching the lights dance overhead. It was quiet, cold, and utterly magical — one of those rare family moments that you know will stay with you forever.

Green Auroras All the Way to Orion

What made this display even more extraordinary was how far south the aurora extended. The green structures did not remain confined to the northern sky — they reached deep into the southern sky, all the way to the constellation of Orion.

Seeing green auroral light near Orion from Belgium is something I honestly never expected to witness. The brightness was striking, with vivid green arcs and moving curtains rippling across large parts of the sky.

Capturing a Rare Event

While we enjoyed the show visually, my camera was working non‑stop. I captured a large number of images, specifically intended to create a timelapse movie.

At the same time, the all‑sky camera was also running and producing its own timelapse. Although this footage is in black and white, the motion and extent of the aurora are clearly visible across the entire sky — a powerful illustration of just how intense this geomagnetic storm was.

A Night to Remember

This was, without doubt, one of the strongest auroral displays ever observed from Belgium — and sharing it together as a family made it even more special.

Fast‑moving green aurora, a bright red band, Orion glowing beneath it all… January 19, 2026, was a night when the universe came very close to home.