Solar Storm Strikes Earth
A surprise solar storm lit up the skies this morning with aurora
The Northern Lights were seen across Canada and into the upper tier of North America this morning as a sudden solar storm lit up Earth's atmosphere.
Early risers this morning awoke to a beautiful display of the Northern Lights dancing across the still dark sky. Aurora, or Northern Lights, as they are called in the Northern Hemisphere, occur when plasma released from the sun interacts with Earth's atmosphere.
Aurorae occur most often when the sun is active, but occasionally, such as this morning, the sun can unexpectedly release particles that reach Earth. Although there are no large sunspot regions at the moment, we were still treated to a wonderful light show. There may be more in the making, as March and September tend to be the months with the most aurorae.
To keep up on when aurorae are occuring, visit Spaceweather.com and sign up for automatic notification of solar events that may produce aurora. To get a picture of where the auroral oval is located, visit NOAA's POES web site and you can see how close the action is to you.
The Northern Lights are difficult to capture on film, whether video or still. But advances in technology have allowed people in areas farther from the poles witness what could only be vaguely described before. If you want to try your hand at photographing the aurora, make sure you have a camera that can take long-exposure photos. There are many web sites with excellent aurora photos, including Jan Curtis's web site or Michael Klensch's web site or Judy and Wade B. Clark, Jr's web site .
As soon as it gets dark tonight, head outside and look north, or if you live in the north, look up! If you are lucky, the storm will still be going on and you will catch a glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights. If you happen to take some great photos, start a discussion and add your link so anyone who was clouded out can enjoy them too.
Oh, it was wild and weird and wan, and ever in camp o' nights/
We would watch and watch the silver dance of the mystic Northern Lights.
And soft they danced from the Polar sky and swept in primrose haze;
And swift they pranced with their silver feet, and pierced with a blinding blaze.
They danced a cotillion in the sky; they were rose and silver shod;
It was not good for the eyes of man--'twas a sight for the eyes of God.
It made us mad and strange and sad, and the gold whereof we dreamed/
Was all forgot, and our only thought was of the lights that gleamed.
--from The Ballad of the Northern Lights, by Robert Service
