Science

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, are visible in the sky near Knaresborough, England, on Friday, October 11, 2024. Credit: Andrew Hawkes via AP

Another solar storm in a series of unusually strong solar storms to hit Earth filled areas farther south than usual, including parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City, with pinks, purples, greens and blues. It created a spectacular sky.

There were no immediate reports of power and communications disruptions.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm warning Wednesday after a solar outburst was detected earlier in the week. Such storms increase the likelihood of aurora borealis, also known as aurora borealis, and can temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.

NOAA’s Friday forecast shows continued higher-than-normal activity, but further south and in Canada’s northern Plains provinces, another overnight show is unlikely.

What causes the aurora borealis?

In addition to heat and light, the sun sends energy and charged particles to Earth, known as the solar wind. However, that solar wind can also turn into a storm. The Sun’s outer atmosphere occasionally “belts out” huge bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections. According to NOAA, they cause solar storms, also known as geomagnetic storms.

Although Earth’s magnetic field protects us from most of the magnetic force, particles can travel along magnetic field lines along the north and south poles and into the Earth’s atmosphere.

When particles interact with gases in the atmosphere, they produce blue and violet light from nitrogen and green and red light from oxygen.

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, illuminate the night sky off the coast of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph Lighthouse on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Joseph, Michigan. Credit: Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

People watch as the Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, light up the night sky from Montrose Point in Chicago on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Credit: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times (via AP)

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, shine in the night sky on Thursday, October 10, 2024, above an apartment building in Queens, New York City. Credit: AP Photo/Daniel P. Derella

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights will appear over Anchorage, Alaska in the early morning hours of Friday, October 11, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Thiessen

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, appear above a pumpjack pumping oil and gas from an oil well head near Cremona, Alberta, on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Credit: Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, illuminate Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Caleb Jones

What lies behind the aurora borealis that brightens the southern sky more than usual?

The aurora borealis shines in the night sky above the road in Liezen, eastern Germany. Credit: Patrick Pleul/dpa, via AP

Why are there so many solar storms these days?

According to astronomers, solar activity waxes and wanes on an approximately 11-year cycle. The sun appears to be near the peak of its cycle, known as solar maximum. It is not clear exactly when the cycle will start to slow down.

In May, the sun released its largest flare in nearly 20 years. It happened just days after a violent solar storm hit the Earth, causing aurora borealis in an unknown part of the northern hemisphere.

How can you best see the Northern Lights?

NOAA advises people who want to see the Northern Lights to avoid city lights.

The best viewing times are usually within one to two hours before or after midnight, with the best times being around the spring and fall equinoxes because of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, officials said.

© 2024 Associated Press. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Citation: What’s behind the aurora dazzling the sky further south than usual (October 11, 2024), https://phys.org/news/2024-10-northern-dazzled on October 11, 2024 Retrieved from -sky-south.html

This document is subject to copyright. No part may be reproduced without written permission, except in fair dealing for personal study or research purposes. Content is provided for informational purposes only.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button