Hopkinton: This photo was taken near Fruit Street last night. It was sent in by Sridhar Thiruppalli.
Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is a natural light display seen predominantly in the high latitude regions around the Arctic. The display occurs when the sun’s charged particles, such as its solar wind, collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere, igniting them to create colorful lights and dancing curtains.
Auroras (aurora borealis) was named by Galileo in 1619, and it originates from the Roman goddess of dawn, known as aurora, while Boreas is Greek for north wind. Auroras are not unique to the northern hemisphere, and its southern counterpart is called an aurora australis or Southern Lights.
Both types of auroras show the same features, and we find them side by side during solar storms. The best time of the year to see auroras is in late summer and early spring, when they are at their brightest during periods of high solar activity that often occur with large sunspot groups or while associated with flare-driven coronal mass ejections.
Colors we see in auroras differ according to the gas type that is used and the height above earth where collisions take place, such as red for oxygen into a high layer while green lights more often develop when lower down.
People around the world throughout history have gazed in awe at this celestial phenomenon, attaching all manner of myths and meanings to it. A tradition continued today, auroras still inspire scientists and skywatchers, reminding us of the fine balance between solar activity and Earth’s atmosphere.
