You missed the Northern Lights ? NASA announces some good news to make up for it

“You missed the Northern Lights? NASA announces some good news to make up for it”

After last week's show, NASA announces another solar storm that could be accompanied by new northern lights.

On May 10 and 11, during the Ascension Bridge, the Northern Lights illuminated the city. the sky of many regions of France, offering an extraordinary spectacle for these latitudes. Usually reserved for territories located outside the country. proximity poles, these natural phenomena ignited the skies of several European countries such as Spain and northern Italy. If you weren't able to take advantage of it last weekend, keep your hopes up because the event could happen again in the coming months. the favor of a peak of activity of the Sun.

The Northern Lights take the form of colorful ribbons that dance in the night sky. Although the phenomenon is visible mainly at night, it is caused by nighttime conditions. by the solar wind emitted by our star. Indeed, the Sun ejects electrical particles, usually blocked by the magnetic field of our planet. However, some of them manage to achieve this. cross it and enter our atmosphere. When these particles meet the atoms present in the air, colored veils are born in the sky, forming the northern lights. Their colors depend in particular on the altitude at which forms the aurora and although green is the most common shade, it can happen to see blue, pink or even red or even several shades simultaneously' ;nbsp;!

Aurora borealis captured on May 11 in Cornwall in the United Kingdom © SIPA (published on 05/17/2024)

According to NASA, which works with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Sun is currently approaching a peak of activity. which results in the appearance of more and more numerous sunspots and more frequent solar flares than usual. À Last fall, the organization concluded, thanks to statistical data, that the next peak should occur between January and October 2024, the period in which we currently find ourselves.

It is therefore all à possible fact that the Sun bombards us à new wave of particles causing new northern lights. However, scientists are unable to say whether the long-awaited peak will occur in the coming weeks or rather later. next fall. We will have to be patient to find out as new solar eruptions, less strong than those at the beginning of May, could once again be observed around May 13 last.

Although it's impossible to predict their appearance two' three days à In advance, the Northern Lights have the great advantage of being able to be admired without any equipment. They usually appear at the start of the night, only a few hours after the sun has set. It is also easier to observe them from a place free of light pollution. If you want to try your luck, we therefore advise you to move away from towns that tend to have more people. spoil astronomical observations.