Colorful photos show auroras dancing in skies around the world this weekend
Green and purple curtains of light danced in the skies around the world this weekend.
The strong aurora showing was sparked by a mass of hot plasma burped from the sun and sent on a crash-course with Earth.
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While the auroras weren't particularly strong in New England and some other parts of the U.S., the curtains of light did put on a good show for people in the high latitudes of the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.
Faint #aurora captured early this morning in Southampton, Ontario on Lake Huron during a brief break in the heavy cloud cover. July 17, 2017 pic.twitter.com/VEbAbwaN93
— Scott Rock (@scottrockphoto) July 17, 2017
Gorgeous aurora display south of Edmonton, Alberta tonight. @FOX23 @WeatherNation pic.twitter.com/nOZ2Gy2zcm
— Greg McLaughlin (@tornadoGregMc) July 17, 2017
#Aurora time lapse from 7/16. @SleepingBearNPS @MidwestNPS @TamithaSkov @TweetAurora @AuroraNorthWI #FindYourPark @NatlParkService pic.twitter.com/fPdyx3AuwK
— Scott S (@qtrocub) July 17, 2017
WOW! Northern Lights seen early this morning from Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. Photo credit: John Cory Andrew. #Aurora #NorthernLights pic.twitter.com/pKMpXUZpui
— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) July 17, 2017
Northern lights, cameras and little action: Clouds mar rare appearance for Aurora Borealis https://t.co/F08KQELzcl pic.twitter.com/hZSfoE2k0Z
— CTV News (@CTVNews) July 17, 2017
Scientists in Antarctica even caught sight of the southern lights this weekend.
Full moon illuminates Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with Aurora Australis above https://t.co/neJWFznb1D @NSF @uw_icecube pic.twitter.com/IXuhNCkcFR
— The Antarctic Report (@AntarcticReport) July 16, 2017
Auroras occur when streams of charged particles are sent out from the sun into the rest of the solar system.
Those particles can impact Earth's magnetic field and get drawn down into the planet's upper atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere, those solar particles can interact with neutral particles, creating the glowing lights we call the auroras.
Most of the time, the auroras can only be seen in a relatively small part of the world because the bits of solar plasma are drawn down along magnetic field lines. But sometimes, when solar storms are more intense, the oval of the aurora can become larger, bathing other parts of the world in green, purple, and red light.
Video: Dustin Dilworth/Storyful
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