This week has been exciting for sky watchers, as beautiful auroras could be seen in places around the world. Also known as the aurora borealis, this phenomenon occurs when charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth's atmosphere and is typically only seen in the northernmost regions near the Arctic. But due to the sun's unusually high level of activity, the auroras were visible much further south than usual, and many people were able to take impressive images.
Beloved science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson took an image of Lengthy Island in New York:
kpz">From Lengthy Island, New York, the Aurora tonight.
Caused by charged solar particles reaching Earth from yesterday's photovoltaic eruption. They collide with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen molecules, making them glow. Here, Red and Green are visible, with the Big Dipper looking on. kaC">pic.twitter.com/wgzCIiJUHu
-Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) iBJ">October 11, 2024
And the auroras were also visible across much of the UK, with both the UK Met Office and the Royal Astronomy Society sharing images:
kpz">The aurora has been seen in many parts of the UK this afternoon
Here are some photos taken by our meteorologists located across the country. wtl">pic.twitter.com/pTvGTuRqWK
— Meteorological Office (@metoffice) Cos">October 10, 2024
kpz">Did you see the spectacular northern lights last night? Here are some beautiful ones TWp">#Aurora Images from around the UK…
And a reminder of why they put on such a show and were spotted much further south this year: WAL">#aurora borealis QXe">pic.twitter.com/xjXKXb7bWk
– Current Astronomical Society (@RoyalAstroSoc) wG5">October 11, 2024
The view was also captured earlier this week from space, when NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a photo he took from the International Space Station, and many more images from skywatchers around the world are available in space. com. Auroras photograph particularly well with a smartphone camera, so many people were able to capture stunning images without needing any specialized astrophotography equipment.
The reason the views have been so impressive is the activity of the sun. The sun goes through an 11-year activity cycle and is currently entering its most active period, called photo voltaic maximum. The cycle is caused by sunspots that exist on the sun's surface, which are cooler, darker regions created by the sun's magnetic field. When more of these sunspots face the Earth, photovoltaic activity decreases. When there are fewer of these sunspots, as there is now, the sun's activity increases. It is more likely to produce bursts such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
This week there have been four strong solar flares that erupt from the sun, sending powerful bursts of energy that can interfere with satellites and communications technology when they reach Earth, in a phenomenon called space weather.
But while these solar flares can cause problems for space-based technology, increased solar activity also increases the number of auroras that can be seen from Earth.
LI1">Source link