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| Stunning Northern Lights ... or more like Nordic Lights in Marquette, Michigan Northern Lights. (c) Shawn Malon | |
The northern hemisphere is accustomed enough to the dazzling Aurora Borealis
phenomena, an event which occurs when charged particles collide with
atoms from the extreme latitude atmosphere. However, yesterday almost
the whole North American continent was bewildered by an incredible
spectacle of lights, as Aurora Borealis apparitions were reported as
far south as Kansas, Arkansas or New Mexico.
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| Cross Plains, Wisconsin Northern Lights. (c) Randy Halverson |
This extremely rare event occured as a result of a freakish giant solar flare, which
errupted from the sun yesterday, causing the fantastic display to
stretch much farther than usual. The mass of charged particles
compressed Earth’s magnetic field and sparked a geomagnetic storm,
something scientists still don’t know too many things about.
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| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Northern Lights. (c) Ray Mckenzie |
The vivid light show is set when the charges hit the atoms in the
atmosphere. Collisions with oxygen produce red and green auroras, while
nitrogen produces the pink and purple colors.
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Kvaløya, Norway Northern Lights. (c) Fredrik Broms
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One of the best footage from yesterday night’s Northern Lights came
from an unsuspecting location, Arkansas. Amateur photographer Brian
Emfinger was one of the stargazers who captured the rare occurrence, who
also compiled a time lapse from his view.
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| Ozark, Arkansas Nothern Lights. (c) Brian Emfinger |
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| Ozark, Arkansas Nothern Lights. (c) Brian Emfinger |
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