at 1:01 AM by Tori Schow

The Aurora Seen Around the World

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s an Aurora! The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) were in full swing last night as many watched and took photos of this gorgeous phenomenon. NASA does a great job explaining everything you would ever need to know about auroras, so I will just hit some of the highlights. Ya know, just to make sure we’re all on the same page!

Auroras are caused by collisions between escaped electrons from the sun and nitrogen and oxygen in the upper part of Earth’s atmosphere. Once they collide, the electrons transfer their energy to the nitrogen and oxygen molecules, causing them to become excited (like when you drink an energy drink). Once the molecules “calm down”, those gorgeous lights are emitted so the naked eye can see them!

Let’s roll that beautiful aurora footage! This is a timelapse video of the aurora australis over Tasmania and Australia on October 7. (YouTube/Robert Warren).

Now, for some awesome pictures!