Chasing celestial magic: Where to witness the northern lights?

WEB DESK: The northern lights are a natural phenomenon characterised by vibrant displays of dazzling lights in the earth’s sky. The natural phenomenon is mostly observed in high-latitude regions near the polar regions of the Earth, namely the Arctic and Antarctic.

These dazzling, magical lights often manifest as curtains, rays, spirals, or flickers that envelop the entire sky. Commonly known as the aurora or southern lights, the phenomenon captivates observers with its otherworldly beauty.

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The northern lights occur when the Earth’s magnetic field gets disturbed by solar wind. The solar wind includes stuff like coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. This makes the charged particles in the Earth’s atmosphere move faster. This is what creates those beautiful bright lights seen in the sky.

The primary particles involved in this phenomenon are electrons and protons, which move into the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, the atoms and molecules in the atmosphere become ionised or ‘excited’. This leads to the emission of light in various colours and patterns.

In simpler terms, when these particles interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, they make the air glow in different colours and shapes.

The northern lights mostly occur within a region referred to as the “auroral zone,” spanning roughly a 2,500-kilometer radius around the north pole. This zone is most prominently observable during nighttime against a backdrop of darkened skies. During geomagnetic storms, the northern lights can extend as far south as the Mediterranean and the southern United States.

The display of northern lights is influenced by several factors such as solar activity and the planet’s geomagnetic field. These lights exhibit a range of colors, including red, green, blue, and purple, each corresponding to specific wavelengths of emitted light. However, predominantly, the northern lights predominantly emit or are comprised of green hues.

The northern lights manifest in diverse forms, such as gentle glows near the horizon, cloud-like patches or sheets, creating arcs across the sky, upward-extending rays, and expansive coronas (a ring or crown-like structure of light that extends across the sky) enveloping much of the sky. These formations are influenced by Earth’s magnetic field and the observer’s location.

Northern lights emit different kinds of light, not just what a human’s eye can see. This includes ultraviolet and infrared, which are beyond what a human eye can detect. They’ve even been spotted on other planets like Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The appearance of northern lights changes over time. It can progress from glows to coronas throughout the night. These changes can occur rapidly, with varying intensity observed on very short timescales.

In addition to their visual beauty, northern lights produce radio emissions known as “auroral kilometric radiation” and X-ray emissions. The northern lights even rarely produce noise that resembles crackling sounds. However, this can mostly be observed at altitudes above the earth’s surface.

The northern lights is a natural phenomenon that is a dance between solar winds, the earth’s magnetosphere, and the upper atmosphere. The celestial spectacle has fascinated and captivated humanity for millennia.

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In the coming days, aurora will grace the skies for observers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK). In the US, Alaska offers prime viewing opportunities, while Scotland and Northern Ireland are the recommended spots within the UK, according to the UK’s Met Office.