On Nov. 11 and 12, the Northern Lights ranged across multiple countries, creating green, purple, red and pink colors in Illinois. The sun releases energy bursts to create these colors, and this phenomenon occurs every two to three years.
The Northern Lights take this name because they occur in the northern hemisphere, and they are primarily located in the North Pole. The hues were more spread out than normal throughout the world in recent weeks, though, because the sun is at its 11-year activity cycle.
Solar storms reached very intense levels that triggered the Northern Lights, according to space weather forecasters. The lights can be seen from Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, but colorful lights are not the only things that solar storms bring. They can disrupt technology and the power grid, and GPS communications are impacted by the hues.
“When I teach about the Northern Lights, we talk about coronal mass ejections and how the Northern Lights are formed,” astronomy teacher Joanna Edelman said. “Solar wind ejects from the sun that interacts with the ionosphere in the upper part of the atmosphere that creates that light effect.”
Coronal mass ejections are when the sun releases energy bursts. Two of these coronal mass ejections were released on Nov. 11, but there were more on Nov. 12. The brightness and shade of the colors depend on the atmosphere and magnetic field and how they interact.
“The sun sends out solar flares that collide with our atmosphere, creating light,” Northern Light enthusiast and Campton Hills resident Mary Glinke said. “Depending on the altitude at which the solar particles hit and the elements that are interacting with the solar particles, it changes the color of the Aurora.”
Yet colorful lights are not the only things that solar storms bring. Experts of space weather are only able to predict when these hues come to certain areas days before, not months. The Northern Lights are more visible without bright lights on to derive the colors. A smartphone camera shows more of the aurora than our eyes can see.
The Northern Lights are not usually visible because, in low light, human eyes can’t detect the color well. Smartphone cameras have sensors that are able to capture the colors more vividly. Although some of the color is visible, cameras pick up the colors much better.
“Generally, the stronger the solar flare, the larger the region is that you can see the Aurora Borealis,” Glinke said.
The sun being at its 11-year cycle, which involves the magnetic activity fluctuating, causes the Northern Lights to be more spread out. The spread of the Northern Lights is also dependent on the geomagnetic and solar storms.
“I watched the Northern Lights for around an hour, and I saw green, pink and purple in the sky,” Elburn resident Emilee Pinks said. “It made me feel inspired and connected to nature.”
People connect and bond over the Northern Lights because they are motivated to go outside to get a clear view. This brings neighbors and people together to witness the lights as a community. By sharing this experience with others, it can trigger the response of feeling both connected with others and the outdoors.
