ALBAWABA The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are a natural phenomenon that has long captivated the imagination of those lucky enough to witness it.
In the evening of last Friday, a breathtaking display of this celestial wonder graced the skies above several regions in central Russia, painting the night with ribbons of pink, green, and purple light.
People from the regions of Chelyabinsk, Ryazan, Penza, Vladimir, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Novosibirsk, Moscow, and Nizhny Novgorod shared stunning photographs of the event on social media.
Pink displays, like the ones seen in Russia on Friday, are quite rare and tend to be caused by a solar storm creating a temporary hole in the magnetosphere. T
his hole allows solar particles to penetrate deeper into the Earth’s atmosphere than usual. At lower altitudes, the atmosphere contains a higher percentage of nitrogen, which lights up in a different hue than oxygen, resulting in the pinkish color.
The northern lights are a result of electrically charged particles from the Sun colliding with the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This collision generates a spectacular display of lights that is primarily observable in regions located around the Arctic Circle.
The best time to witness this awe-inspiring phenomenon is between the months of September and April, and most aurora displays are predominantly green.
However, they can also include a range of other colors, such as pink, dark red, blue, and purple.
Social media was flooded with images and videos, with people expressing their excitement and gratitude for being able to witness such a magnificent natural phenomenon. For many, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a memory that will be cherished for years to come.
