Aurora Storm
Photograph by Rune Stoltz Bertinussen, Scanpix/Reuters
Green auroras hang like storm clouds in the skies near Tromsø, Norway, on Wednesday.
This week's solar storm was strong enough to cause sporadic radio blackouts in high-latitude regions, spurring some airlines to reroute polar flights. Still, the storm is considered to be moderate and isn't expected to cause major disturbances to ground- or space-based equipment, experts said.
(Related: "What If the Biggest Solar Storm on Record Happened Today?")
Published January 25, 2012
Aurora Hunting
Photograph courtesy Andy Keen
A multicolored blade of light seems poised to strike over a snowy forest in Ivalo,Finland, on January 22. Late last week a NASA satellite witnessed a solar flare and CME from a different active region on the sun. That solar event triggered a round of auroras over the weekend, including the display captured above.
"At approximately 19:00 hrs the night sky over our Guest house was illuminated by the most spectacular display of Northern Lights, which lasted for several hours," photographer Andy Keen wrote on Spaceweather.com.
"The temperatures plummeted to a chilly -25 degrees Centigrade [-13 degrees Fahrenheit]—cold enough to make our lenses freeze and turn our camera bodies white."
Published January 25, 2012
National Geographic
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