No, Meta – I won’t fake my northern lights photos even though I’m gutted that I missed the real thing

A phone on a purple and pink background showing a Meta post on Threads about AI images of the northern lights.

On May 10 this year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years occurred, delivering a northern lights display that reached parts of the world it rarely does. I was lucky enough to learn that it was happening with enough time to venture out with my camera gear, and it was a truly memorable evening.

The G5-rated geomagnetic storm was so strong that the aurora borealis could be seen even where I live in the south of the UK, dancing in the night sky and illuminating the landscape with other-worldly hues. I wrote about my experiences of that night, pitting a mirrorless camera against a smartphone to see which could get the best Northern Lights pictures.