A large hole in the sun’s corona caused a powerful geomagnetic storm that severely damaged the Earth’s magnetic field. This incident served as the catalyst for the magnificent Northern Lights show, which traveled to the United States and was witnessed by millions of people.
Several states in the United States have reported witnessing the sparkling green dancing aurora borealis.
Pictures and videos of the Northern Lights are starting to flood the timelines of millions of social media users. Several accounts shared the video themselves.
Last night was great! The Northern Lights put on an unforgettable show. Here are three shots of Hallow Rock on Minnesota’s North Shore. I’ve never seen this red of the aurora borealis before, there are so many colors accompanying plain green. #retweet# aurorapic.twitter.com/oUXdXg9eVG
– HeitmanJake March 24, 2023
A massive aurora borealis pops right through the Big Crater in Fairbanks, AK! This was insanely bright and colorful to the eye. After about 30 seconds, the aurora borealis go from gorgeous to breathtakingly dazzling. pic.twitter.com/eU036JKJAo
Vincent Ledvina. March 25, 2023
Literally witnessed the craziest aurora borealis of my life tonight in Fairbanks. This was unreal. pic.twitter.com/D3b6YNqX31
Vincent Ledvina. March 24, 2023
Experts claim that the location of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere determines the colors visible in the sky. Nitrogen and oxygen are the main sources of green, red, and blue, respectively.
What exactly is the aurora borealis, and why does it occur?
according to NASAIf you’re near the North or South Pole, you might be in for a very special treat. There are often beautiful light shows in the sky. These lights are called aurora. If you are near the North Pole, this is called the aurora borealis or the northern lights. If you’re near the South Pole, it’s called the aurora borealis, or southern lights.
The aurora borealis is actually caused by the sun. The sun sends us more than heat and light. It sends a lot of other energy and small particles our way. The protective magnetic field around the Earth shields us from most energy and particles, and we don’t even notice it.
But the sun doesn’t send out the same amount of energy all the time. There is a constant stream of solar wind, and there are also solar storms. During one type of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, a huge bubble of electrified gas belches up and can travel through space at high speeds.
When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles can travel through magnetic field lines at the north and south poles and into Earth’s atmosphere. There, the molecules interact with the gases in our atmosphere, creating a beautiful display of light in the sky. Oxygen gives green and red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple.
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