‘Best chance’ to see the Northern Lights as holes in Earth’s magnetic field open up

ADDITIONAL Northern Lights could be visible this month due to gaps in Earth’s magnetic field.

That’s what scientists say, who claim that the sun is at its most active peak.

The beautiful Northern Lights at night around the island of Iceland.Credit: Getty

We know that the sun follows an eleven-year solar cycle, which is controlled by its magnetic field.

It is powered by the poles on the sun changing places about every eleven years.

It is said that the sun has reached the stage in this cycle where increased solar activity can result in more sightings of the Northern Lights.

Eruptions and eruptions from the solar surface have been observed to become increasingly intense and extreme.

WHAT ARE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights, are created when Earth’s magnetosphere is bombarded by solar wind.

It is the solar wind that interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, creating the beautiful green-blue appearance.

Charged particles from the sun hit atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere and give them a higher energy state.

When the atoms fall back to their lower energy state, light is released.

A NASA study 75 years of data show that March is often the best month to see the Northern Lights.

With the sun in its high solar activity phase, this month could be your best chance to see the best Northern Lights in the next decade.

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To see the natural phenomenon at its best, a visit to a country in the Arctic Circle is ideal.

However, sometimes the lights are so strong that you can see them as far away as Florida.

It is best to check the space weather forecasts for your region.

You can take a look at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

When it is dark, go to an area where there is no light pollution and be patient as it may take some time for the Northern Lights to appear.

Please note that the Northern Lights may look dim with your eyes, but bright through a camera due to a higher aperture setting.

Here’s the official explanation from NASA…

The dancing lights of the auroras provide spectacular views from the ground, but also capture the imagination of scientists studying incoming energy and particles from the sun
Auroras are one result of such energetic particles, which can blast out from the Sun both in a steady stream called the solar wind and as a result of giant outbursts known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.
After a journey to Earth that can take two to three days, the sun’s particles and magnetic fields cause the release of particles already trapped near Earth, which in turn triggers reactions in the upper atmosphere in which oxygen and nitrogen molecules produce photons releasing light.
The result: the northern and southern lights.