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Northern Lights - May 11, 2024
photos by Rees Erwn
Two days ago Rees Erwn captured a spectacular light show near Napa, California, when a powerful solar storm produced the Northern Lights aka the aurora borealis. The aurora is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). However, due to a rare incident it moved further south so it could be seen in the upper United States.
For all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. The northern lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught as Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles.
There are some vivid images on the government NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center that can be seen on their website (link below). All the links below have spectacular images and information.
Rees said he could not see it very well with his naked (this will definitely get the blog X-rated) eyes . . .
. . . but his trusty iPhone captured the brilliant images, top and below.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
CBS News ~ Maps of northern lights
Library of Congress ~ What are the northern lights?
SF Gate ~
Space.com ~
YouTube links:
Styrous® ~ Monday, May 13, 2024
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