Colorful Norwegian Skies: The Aurora Borealis

Colorful Norwegian Skies: The Aurora Borealis

Aurora Borealis over Alta, Norway

Aurora Borealis over Kautokeinoelva, Norway

Astrophotographer Role Bigler: "Even with strong light pollution, the polar light is very well visible . . ."

On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.

Earth auroras have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

Learn more:

The Colors of the Aurora (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/-articles-aps-v8-i1-c9.htm

NASA - About Aurora

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/aurora-news-stories/index.html

Image Technical Data:

Canon EOS R. 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art 015

ƒ/1.4 20.0 mm 1 800 Flash (off, did not fire) Show EXIF

Image Credit: Role Bigler

Image Dates: Sept. 10 & 14, 2023

Release Date: Oct. 2, 2023

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