Northern Lights in Switzerland – images and explanations

Northern Lights visible in Switzerland – Magical night of November 12, 2025

The Swiss sky offered a rare spectacle on the night of November 12, 2025: the Northern Lights illuminated the northern horizon, visible from several regions of the country. This phenomenon, usually reserved for polar latitudes, exceptionally made its way as far as the Alps and the Swiss Plateau, much to the delight of nature enthusiasts and night photography aficionados.

These are all taken by my son Michael with his drone. https://t.co/VFynYpQVu5

— Dick Quagliano (@Quags57) November 12, 2025

A fascinating celestial phenomenon

The aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is caused by the interaction between the solar wind—a stream of charged particles ejected by the Sun—and the Earth's magnetic field. When these particles reach the upper layers of the atmosphere, they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms.

Northern Lights in Switzerland 🇨🇭 November 2025

These collisions release light: green, red or violet depending on the composition and altitude of the air.

• Oxygen at an altitude of approximately 100 km emits a green light.
• Oxygen higher up, around 250 km, gives a red tint.
• Nitrogen, on the other hand, produces pink or purple reflections.

Each aurora is therefore a unique work of art, painted by the physics and magic of the cosmos.

Why are auroras rare in Switzerland?

Switzerland is located at a latitude of approximately 46° North, much further south than the usual zone of auroral activity, which lies between 60° and 75° North. Under normal conditions, the Earth's magnetic field channels solar particles towards these high latitudes, where they produce the magnificent luminous displays observed in Scandinavia, Canada, and Iceland.

For an aurora to be visible as far south as Switzerland, a geomagnetic storm of exceptional intensity must occur. This storm distorts and widens the auroral oval southward, allowing our latitudes to be momentarily bathed in solar particles.

The ideal conditions for November 12, 2025

On the night of November 12, 2025, a powerful solar flare propelled a coronal mass ejection directly toward Earth. Upon reaching our planet, this wave of particles triggered a G4-level geomagnetic storm, among the most powerful in recent years.

Auroral activity then spread to Central Europe: Switzerland, France, Germany and even Northern Italy were able to see polar glows.

Several Swiss observers, particularly in the Jura, the Pre-Alps and the Valais, were able to distinguish reddish and pinkish veils in the northern sky, sometimes visible to the naked eye, sometimes revealed by long-exposure cameras.

How to see the Northern Lights from Switzerland?

To observe the Northern Lights from our latitudes, four essential conditions must be met:

1. Strong solar activity: geomagnetic storms of level G3 to G5 are the only ones likely to make auroras visible so far south.
2. A clear sky: no clouds or mist, and as little light pollution as possible.
3. A clear northern horizon: favour areas at altitude or hills open to the north.
4. Total darkness: the best times are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., when the night is deep and the moonlight is weak.

A Kp index greater than 7 is generally required for auroras to cross the 47th parallel and become visible from Switzerland.

Where to see the Northern Lights in Switzerland?

The best observation sites are mountainous or rural areas, far from cities and their light pollution:

• Chasseral and the Jura ridges, with an unobstructed view to the north.
• The Vaud or Fribourg Pre-Alps.
• The plateaus of Val-de-Ruz or Gruyère.
• The Simplon heights and the north-facing alpine passes.

These sites offer a vast and dark horizon, ideal for distinguishing the subtle nuances of the phenomenon.

A rare but possible spectacle

The Northern Lights, visible from Switzerland, only occur a few times per decade. However, with the solar cycle in its waxing phase (the solar maximum expected between 2025 and 2026), the chances of observation increase significantly.

The coming years could therefore hold more magical nights, where the Swiss sky is ablaze with polar colours.

She's no longer needed in Lapland!

The night of November 12, 2025 will be remembered as a moment of cosmic wonder in Switzerland. Under the influence of a powerful solar storm, our country had the privilege of witnessing a natural phenomenon of absolute beauty: the union of the solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field, projected onto the canvas of the Alpine sky.

An aurora borealis, visible from our mountains, reminds us how closely the Earth and the Sun are linked, and how nature can sometimes transform an ordinary night into a moment of eternity.