Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by large emissions of plasma from the sun’s atmosphere. Last Sunday’s phenomenon reached the G4 level, on a scale of 1 to 5 used by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for assessing the severity of this type of event, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. Space.com.
During this type of phenomenon, energized particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere at 72.5 million kilometers per hour, causing the planet’s magnetic field to direct the particles toward the poles. This intense movement of particles in the atmosphere creates colored glasses, which are generally restricted to areas of high latitudes (where the aurora borealis usually occur) or low latitudes (where the aurora borealis occur).
But this time, observers from around the world were able to see the aurora borealis as far south as Colorado and New Mexico. In Europe, they have also been seen in France and Germany. At the other end of the scale, the two Northern Lights are found in New South Wales, Australia.
Not only did Landom Moeller capture the Northern Lights over the Apple River in Illinois, USA, but he also saw a falling meteor. “I was doing a time-lapse style photo on my camera and I saw the aurora dancing,” Mueller told Space.com. Suddenly, a blue and white meteor crossed from east to west for 4 to 5 seconds, before burning up and leaving a long trail of smoke. It was amazing!”
Photographer Ben Brotherton captured some amazing shots from his backyard in Herefordshire, West Midlands, UK. “I was shocked to see how bright and sharp the aurora borealis were on camera,” he said. It was Alan Traun, of South Wales, UK, who also recorded an impressive Northern Lights. He said, “The night sky exploded with lights and the most amazing aurora flared up in front of me.”
Alice Hwang was surprised to see the Northern Lights across Southern California. “My husband and I were camping in the Owens Peak Wilderness in the Southern Sierra. After sunset, we started seeing a pink glow in the sky, and we could hardly believe our eyes,” Hwang said.
Despite the cloudy weather, Edwin Mabunga managed to capture the magical sights of Southland, New Zealand. The sky was so great that Mapunga invited anyone who wanted to take pictures in his backyard. Received from a 60-year-old woman of a mother and three daughters, who wanted to take pictures with their mobile phones. “They were surprised to see their equipment was able to record such beauty. Not bad for a day that started out so cloudy,” he said.
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