This amazing image of the Northern Lights was captured by Frank Ryan on St Patrick’s Day (Marc
This amazing image of the Northern Lights was captured by Frank Ryan on St Patrick’s Day (March 17th) at Lough Gur in County Limerick, Ireland.Limerick is situated in the Midwest of Ireland and typically the Northern Lights cannot be seen from this vantage point. However, thanks to a surprisingly strong solar storm, ranked as a G4 geomagnetic storm by NOAA, the night sky was alive with the dance of the Aurora Borealis.These solar light displays occur when highly charged electrons are blown towards earth in what is called “solar wind”. As the electrons enter the earth’s upper atmosphere, they encounter atoms of oxygen and nitrogen at different altitudes, ranging from 20 to 200 miles above the earth’s surface. The colour of the aurora depends on which atom is first struck and at what altitude, as follows:• Green - oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude• Red - oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude• Blue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude• Purple/violet - nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitudeIt often looks like the auroras are dancing through the sky, this is because the magnetic and electric forces are reacting with each other in constantly shifting combinations.If you are lucky enough to be able to witness the aurora first hand, please take advantage; for everyone else, here is a link to some great photos:http://www.psdeluxe.com/articles/inspiration/50-magnificent-aurora-borealis-pictures/-JeanImage by Frank Ryan -- source link
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