When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and charged particles from the sun (mostly electrons and protons) can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth’s atmosphere. There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. [Infographic by capturetheatlas.com]These pictures are from the northern lights (aurora borealis) as we saw them from our lodgings some 15 miles outside Fairbanks.
Please note: a camera presents severe limitations when the lights appear in an animated fashion, and in the entire night sky overhead!
The photographer is Francois Theron and he used a Sony NEX-3 digital camera with a 10-second exposure.
