Viral Video Captures Spectacular Aurora Borealis Display Caused by Solar Storm
Auroras, also known as Northern Lights, are a unique atmospheric occurrence that produces breathtaking bands of vibrant light near the polar regions. Occasionally, these dazzling lights can be observed in various parts of the world, particularly during powerful solar storms. Recently, passengers on a flight to Europe were treated to a captivating aurora display, which was captured by a user and quickly gained widespread attention on social media.
Auroras captured in flight
Instagram user Vincent Ledvina, who calls himself “The Aurora Guy,” shared a breathtaking video of the northern lights seen during the flight. In an Instagram post, Ledvina wrote: “Have you ever seen the northern lights from an airplane!?”
The mesmerizing northern lights were snapped as the plane crossed Canada en route to Europe. Ledvina mentioned in the video, “I stayed up all night to see the northern lights on my flight to Europe…”
The Instagram post has since gone viral with over 50,000 likes. People were amazed by this phenomenon. One user commented: “This is what heaven must look like,” while another wrote: “Omg you are so lucky!! I never even thought of that possibility!”
What are the northern lights?
The Northern Lights, also known as the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis at the North Pole and the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis at the South Pole, transform the night sky into green, blue and pink shades of light. These mesmerizing lights constantly change shape and intensity from dim and scattered to bright enough to be seen for miles.
They are typically seen in the northern polar regions, including places like Canada, Alaska, and Norway. The Southern Lights or Aurora australis are seen in the southern polar regions such as Antarctica and the southern parts of South America, Africa and Australia.
How are the northern lights formed?
According to NASA, when a solar storm interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, it leads to the formation of geomagnetic storms. During this time, the solar particles released interact with the various gases in our atmosphere and form spectacular aurora borealis, which are worth seeing especially from Reykjavik, Iceland and Svalbard, Norway.
Scientists study the northern lights from several different angles: from below, from above, and from within. From below, ground-based telescopes and radar look up to monitor what’s happening in the sky. From above, NASA missions like THEMIS study what the space agency says causes the aurora borealis to dramatically shift from slowly flickering waves of light to wildly changing streaks of color.
