Northern Lights display brightly across the skies for first time in years
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — Across the country, the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, has shown brightly across the skies. The display of vibrant hues of green and pink is the first bright display of the lights in many years.
“I went outside, saw them in town, and I drove out maybe two miles north of town, and they were brilliant out there. Out by the windmills in Moorhead…Every direction it was all over. It was a nice display, it was definitely over, like all over Minnesota,” said Juan Cabanela, Professor at MSUM.
The display comes after what Cabanela says is the result of two coronal mass ejections.
“Basically, the sun tosses off particles. Electrons, protons, and so forth. They fly through space a couple of hours to days later, they hit us, and they follow the magnetic field lines to the Earth and slam the atmosphere. And they literally cause the gas that is in the atmosphere to flourish. Just like a fluorescent bulb,” said Cabanela.
Every few months, parts of the Earth will display these lights. Typically not as visible compared to Tuesday night’s lights, the display can be visible in areas without as much electrical lighting.
“There’s always a little bit of an Aurora every night, somewhere. So it’s not a phenomenon that is extremely rare. What’s extremely rare is the colors and the amount, the severity of the storm that occurred last night,” said Tim Young, Professor at the University of North Dakota Department of Physics and Astrophysics.
The brilliant display is expected to continue until Friday at the latest. It may be a long time before something similar is seen again.
“Interesting to know is that all of this light phenomenon that’s happening is only like at the edge of space from the ground…which is only the distance from Fargo to Grand Forks. So if you took that distance and went straight up, that’s where all these interactions are taking place and the lights are being formed,” said Young.
The best way to see the Northern Lights is to get away from the city and look towards the northern part of the sky.
