Normally the Northern Lights are reserved for their namesake—the far North, but tonight part of Utah and much of the northern third of the United States may get a glimpse of the spectacle.
The aurora is caused by magnetized plasma clouds released by the sun. According to NASA, these clouds become part of the solar wind that can collide with our planet’s magnetic field. That invisible field surrounding Earth is stretched by the winds, said Tabitha Buehler, assistant professor lecturer of physics and astronomy at the University of Utah.
“The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles that come from the sun that get trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field and they are accelerated toward the poles of the Earth and that’s why they are seen at the extreme northern and extreme southern latitudes.”
The aurora is usually ongoing near the poles, but it only occurs further south, like Friday, when there is an extra-large solar event.
These particles are made up of protons and electrons. They smash into the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with the gasses that make up the atmosphere.
“When they enter our atmosphere, they collide with the gasses in our atmosphere and cause reactions where we see the different colors in the aurora,” Buehler said.
The particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, which absorb some of their energy and release it as light. Interactions with nitrogen can cause the violets and blues seen in the Northern Lights. Greens are caused by Oxygen, while both elements can give off a red color.
The Northern Lights are best seen just after midnight. If you are out of reach of city lights, they may be seen as far south as central Utah.
