Aurora: View from Wisconsin
Photographer Michele Sadauskas: "For some time, a green arc hung in the northern sky. Data seemed good for a decent show, but that green arc just wouldn't materialize into something more. I had just hopped into the truck to thaw out when pillars began to form. I hopped back out and in no time, a wall of intense reds climbed over my head, coloring the snow blood red. Magnificent! I also really enjoyed capturing the orange pillar in amongst the red. The October 2024 storm had awesome orange aurora, but up till tonight I haven't captured an orange pillar. Happy I did, it is my favorite color!"
On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field that acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere—the region of space surrounding Earth where charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth.
Location: Glidden, Wisconsin, United States
No comments:
Post a Comment