NIGHT SKY … The above photo shows the vibrant colors shown during a recent appearance of the Northern Lights in Northwest Ohio.
BIRDS EYE … The above photo was taken over the Village of Lyons during a recent appearance of the Northern Lights.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Northwest Ohio has once again been treated to what was once a rare phenomenon for our area. I am of course talking about the Aurora or Northern Lights.
These incredible shows of light have been taking social media by storm and have been a sight to behold for many who thought they would never see them without first having to travel up North.
But before we continue a quick science lesson is in order to better understand the Aurora. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains the creation of Auroras with the following.
“Auroras are brilliant ribbons of light weaving across Earth’s northern or southern polar regions.”
“These natural light shows are caused by magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles). Energetic charged particles from these events are carried from the Sun by the solar wind.”
“When these particles seep through Earth’s magnetosphere, they cause substorms. Then fast-moving particles slam into our thin, high atmosphere, colliding with Earth’s oxygen and nitrogen particles.”
“As these air particles shed the energy they picked up from the collision, each atom starts to glow in a different color.”
So why are we starting to see them more often lately? This has been due to the sun being extremely active these past several months.
A series of coronal mass ejections from the surface of the sun have traveled from the sun and have hit the Earth. These series of CMEs, as they are referred to, are due to the sun’s 11-year cycle and where it currently is in that cycle.
That point currently is what is known as a solar maximum. During this time CMEs, Solar Flares, and sunspots happen more frequently. The current solar maximum we are experiencing is expected to continue into 2025 before the sun moves into the next portion of its cycle.
While these storms may look beautiful when it collides with our atmosphere, they can also cause issues for us down on the ground.
Energy from the sun can damage electrical power grids, disrupt satellites, disrupt radio communications and GPS navigation, and can put the lives of astronauts in danger if they are not properly shielded. This is why forecasting for these storms is so important.
Thankfully, many of the possible dangers stated above have not taken place and the storms have only left us with an incredible light show.
If by chance you have yet to see one of the past few Auroras experienced in our area, keep an eye out for the possibility of more as the year comes to a close.