Stunning Northern Lights Bright Up the Skies in US, Canada [See Photos]
(Photo: Pexels/stein egil liland)
Stunning Northern Lights Bright Up the Skies in US, Canada [See Photos]

Northern lights were visible in the United States and Canada over the weekend. The rare aurora borealis lit up the sky following a G4-class geomagnetic storm.

Northern Lights Visible in US and Canada

The coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun caused breathtaking displays of light in the United States and Canada Sunday night, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Predictions Center (SWPC). The gorgeous lights resulted from an intense G4-class geomagnetic storm in the Earth's atmosphere.

The northern lights spread over the nation due to this strong solar storm. People from all over the nation hurried to social media to post breathtaking pictures of the lights in their hometowns after they were discovered in North Carolina, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Oklahoma.

The residents were so pleased to have witnessed the epic light show. Many took to Twitter to share their experience with aurora borealis.

Ricardo Cortes shared a combination of purple and blue with the stars lighting up the sky. Francis commented on the photo, saying he was blessed because the light show was unavailable in some areas. Francis said he never thought the northern lights would be accessible in California. 

Another said the color combination was rare because green is the most usual color representing nitrogen. Red is reportedly for oxygen. The netizen described the photo as "strange" and "beautiful."

Another user shared another beautiful snap taken near Apple River, Illinois. The snap was a combination of purple and green lights. Landon Moeller shared the photo and described it as an "incredible meteor." Michael Andrew was sad that he missed it because they were neighbors. He was hoping the light show would return the following night. Another user said the photo was "amazing" and Moeller was "so lucky" to witness it.

 

ALSO READ: Strong Geomagnetic Storm Could Produce Atypical Northern Lights as Far South as in the US

How Northern Lights Form?

Massive solar plasma plumes known as CMEs are released from the Sun when magnetic field lines that have been bent suddenly realign. This process is known as magnetic reconnection.

This can spew out solar flares that emit X-rays and CMEs that discharge massive amounts of solar material. While some CMEs take several days to reach Earth, others can travel quickly, just 15 to 18 hours.

Much of the solar plasma in the CME is deflected when it strikes the Earth's magnetic field, but part of it is directed towards the planet's North and South poles, where it interacts with atmospheric gases to produce a geomagnetic storm and the distinctive green, purple, and red lights.

According to the NOAA, geomagnetic storms are categorized from G1 (small) to G5 (severe), with G4 being the second-strongest kind. Despite being very infrequent, the Earth has recently seen a few G4 storms, which led to the aurora being visible as far south as Florida in late March.

G4 storms typically occur 100 times throughout an 11-year solar cycle, but G5 storms only affect Earth four times during that time. Solar Cycle 25, which is currently in progress, started in 2019 and will end in 2025. There may be more and stronger solar weather occurrences as the Sun increases in intensity toward its maximum.

The different colors are due to the different elements in the atmosphere reacting to the solar plasma and releasing different wavelengths of light as a result. Red colors are the result of more solar particles interacting with more oxygen.

Brett Carter, an associate professor of space science at RMIT University in Australia, told Newsweek in February that the diverse colors are the result of electrons relaxing from different energy levels from oxygen (the most prevalent reds and greens) and nitrogen (dark reds/blues).

RELATED ARTICLE: Geomagnetic Storm Triggered Auroras on Lower Latitudes; What Are the Effects of the Recent Solar Flare on Earth?

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.