The Northern Lights are widely considered to be one of the most breathtaking natural phenomena that our planet has to offer. The following information will provide some background on what they are and how they came to be:
1)Cause behind the Northern Lights
Bright displays of the Northern Lights typically occur a few days after solar flares or coronal mass ejections. The electron barrage from the flares reacts with nitrogen and oxygen through the Earth’s magnetic field, which envelops the planet.
According to University of Alaska Fairbanks scholar Don Hampton, “it’s very similar to how neon signs are made.” “It’s basically just an electrical current.”
“Dumps in a little energy,” Hampton says of the electron-oxygen-nitrogen reaction. “Afterward, molecules relax. While doing that, they release relatively little light.”
2) Reasons behind light color
According to NASA, excited oxygen molecules emit light that is either red, yellow, or green, depending on which color it is. Nitrogen is the element that is responsible for the emission of blue light.
3) Area of appearance
Polar places like Alaska, northern Canada, and Sweden, where solar activity is high, are excellent for auroras.
“Fairbanks really is the best place in the U.S. to go look at the aurora,” he said. We rarely see anything; if it’s visible, you may witness activity virtually every night. About half the time, the aurora is overhead.
Read About: The Northern Lights create a beautiful nature scene by illuminating Stonehenge.
However, solar wind energy influences the size of the aurora activity oval. If a solar flare hits, southern hemisphere aurora sightings will increase.
“And so people in the northern tier states, say, Minnesota or North Dakota, or along the northern border, may well see some glow in the sky off to the north, or maybe even closer to overhead,” he said.
Calculate the possibility of a southern aurora migration by knowing your geomagnetic latitude and the expected “Kp” index, which measures geomagnetic storm strength from 1 to 9.
4) Southern Northern Lights
Robust solar flares possess the capability to generate aurora observations significantly farther south than is customary, reaching as far south as Texas, California, and Nevada.
NASA asserts that the most powerful solar flare ever recorded, known as the “Carrington Event” of 1859, caused people to see the Northern Lights in Hawaii and Cuba.
5) The new “Northern Light” is known as “Steve.”
The recently discovered form of the aurora has been given the moniker “STEVE,” which stands for “Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.” Witnesses to the aurora in Western Canada gave the phenomenon the name “Steve.” According to Space.com
6) The best way to see
City light pollution obscures auroras. “When the aurora is fairly dim, it’s harder for your eyes to see the colors and distinguish between city lights,” Hampton adds.
You want to travel a few kilometers outside of town. Look north toward a less-lit rural area. When the sun sets between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., clouds appear in the sky. I hope there’s no full moon tonight.
7) A camera can help you better.
A weak aurora may appear milky or green, depending on its strength. Greens and purples may intensify as the storm progresses and your eyes adjust.
Bring a long-exposure camera and stay still to see the lights. Since cameras can’t perceive color at night like human eyes, social media photographs of auroras may be inaccurate.
Special Thanks to NASA , Wallpapercave and Fox Weather
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