On the weekend of May 10-13th, a shocking sight was seen by many. This shock came from the visibility of the Northern Lights that could be observed in places as south as Florida! This phenomenon left many people confused
The Borealis, or Northern Lights as they’re commonly known, are “solar storms on our star’s surface” that give out”huge clouds of electrically charged particles.” According to Royal Museums Greenwich, “These particles can travel millions of miles, and some may eventually collide with the Earth.”
When energy particles ram into the earth, the world experiences the appearance of the northern lights. The reason for their frequent appearance in the north pole is because the north part of the earth is where the energy particles are absorbed into earth. The Northern Lights aren’t usually in the southern hemisphere since the energy from the sun gets focused in the north, not the south. It’s similar to a magnet if you think of the North and South poles of the earth.
The reasoning for the northern lights to be this far south happened because of a massive solar flare from the sun. According to Scientific American, the northern lights were caused by a “rare G5 geomagnetic storm unleashed by our hyperactive sun a few days prior.” This astounding spike in solar energy made the appearance of the northern lights even more apparent.
When viewing the northern lights, many viewers had a variety of reactions. Middleschooler Noah Foell said that the northern lights “were cool to see in Ohio.” As well as Chris Dixon, another Mayfield middle schooler, thought it was awesome to see something he’s never seen before. This comes in contrast to another student Eva Danilovia, who commented on the experience as “a little scary.” Eva was “scared for the environment in connection to solar flares affecting the environment” although she also said it was interesting. There was different commentary on the event but the overarching feedback was positive. Many enjoyed the experience of seeing an uncommon astrological occurrence.
Eva touched on another question that might scare some viewers when seeing the northern lights this far south. The question is, are the northern lights coming this low because of environmental issues? The answer to this is uncertain. While the Aurora Borealis doesn’t affect the overall environment of earth aside from increasing carbon-14, the recent solar flares have caused damage to space technology throughout the globe. According to CBS news, “The storm caused the Hydro-Quebec electrical grid to collapse.” The solar flare that caused the stronger appearance of the northern lights also sent increased geomagnetic rates throughout the globe. These geomagnetic pulses crashed the electrical grid as well as countless communications between the Earth and satellites. This relation between the solar flares and Northern lights has also produced more negative outcomes for technology throughout Earth.
Speaking from a educator point of view, Mr. Lubin noted that viewing the solar eclipse and the Aurora borealis, two rare astrological events, fell in less than a month. Seeing both of these events, Mr. Lubin used these to educate his class–using it as a learning tool to help clarify scientific concepts.
The viewing of the northern lights has been an astounding sight for many; some made social gatherings to view this rare phenomenon. As solar levels flatten back to neutral, the great Aurora borealis will disappear from Ohio and other Southern spots and go back to the Northeast part of our Earth.
According to NASA Earth Observatory we haven’t seen this big of a solar flare since April 2, 2001.
