The Aurora Borealis, or Norther Lights, is a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude regions. This phenomenon occurs when the magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma expel them into the upper atmosphere due to Earth’s magnetic field, where their energy is lost. Even Mathisen, who resides in Kvalsund, Norway, stepped outside his home and captured this short, yet stunning video, of the light show a Sony A7S. Continue reading for another video and more information.
The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying color and complexity. The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles. Precipitating protons generally produce optical emissions as incident hydrogen atoms after gaining electrons from the atmosphere.
