If you plan on capturing the light show with your iPhone camera, think again. Part of the fun is the unpredictable nature of the lights. Additionally, sometimes the lights will only appear as a faint color filter across the night sky - barely a shimmer on the horizon. See privacy policy.Īccording to, particles colliding with oxygen will produce green and yellow, while nitrogen results in red and violet. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The various colors indicate what types of atoms and molecules are interacting. The bursts of colorful light you see are actually the colliding particles and atoms. This phenomenon occurs when a solar flare penetrates the Earth’s magnetic field and shoots charged particles into the atoms and molecules that make up our atmosphere. The aurora is at its most active around September's equinox. It’s the beginning of aurora season, when it stays dark for longer and longer stretches of time, increasing the likelihood of a wild light show. However, there are a handful of destinations around the world where aurora hunters are more likely to encounter this natural phenomenon.įor your best shot at seeing the northern lights this year, head north to the Arctic Circle as early as the last week of August, depending on the destination. Pair the specific weather conditions that need to occur for them to appear with how difficult it can be to get away from light pollution, and you’re in for an adventure. We are currently in the midst of a massive solar storm that makes the sometimes-tough-to-see northern lights easier to spot in locations as far south as Kansas. Scientifically speaking, the northern lights – also known as aurora borealis – are formed when electrically charged solar particles collide with the earth's atmosphere. However, spend an evening staring slack-jawed at the northern lights, and you’ll quickly be reminded of your place in the universe. It’s not easy to feel small in a world determined to keep us all connected all the time.
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