Calgary Area Northern Light: What we need to know
The night sky above Calgary is an enjoyable mixture of colour and light, as the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, dance across the sky in a dazzling display of nature’s beauty. This change in the sky is caused by the interaction between the sun’s solar winds and the earth’s magnetic field and is a must-see for anyone visiting or living in the area.
The Science Behind the Aurora Borealis: Understanding How and Why the Lights Occur
The emerald aurora borealis is the result of solar wind interactions with Earth’s magnetic field. The lights are especially brilliant when solar wind activity is high. This happens when the particles come in contact with atoms and molecules of the ionosphere, thus transforming kinetic energy into visible light and still continues to move at a lower speed usually 100 KM above the earth. Eventually, it collides with another atom and every atom that collides with such particles has more energy, as it releases light of blue, green, and violet that cascades from the sky.
The aurora Borealis is a colourful display of colour in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. Auroras can be seen almost every night in the northern sky from August to May. It is easier to see during winter than in summer. Also, the more the sun is active, the more beautiful the aurora appears on the Earth.
On Tuesday, scientists recorded one of the strongest solar flares of the cycle, considered an X7, which was then outperformed two days later with an X9 on Thursday, the biggest since 2017. The Space Weather Prediction Center in the U.S. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Thursday that a strong geomagnetic storm watch has been issued from October 4 to 6 in Alberta due to a pair of coronal mass ejections.
