Northern lights

Aurora borealis sightings are rare in populous areas of Canada. But when those ethereal green and red hues do dance across the horizon, they mesmerize us.

The colours are fleeting and ever-shifting, so snapping photos or recording video of the Northern Lights is tough. Yet, every now and then a talented photographer captures the magic.  

In August, local photographer Stephen Desroches happened to spot the Northern Lights in the PEI National Park. Here are links to two of his photos,
which are nothing short of

         AWESOME!
Less than a month after Stephen posted his photos, the crew of the International Space Station shot the following video of the Southern Lights (aurora australis ―the Southern hemisphere’s equivalent to the Northern Lights). Enjoy the video in all its awesomeness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aurora_Australis.ogv

If you want to know more about why aurorae borealis and australis displays occur, then I refer you to NRC astronomer Ken Tapping and his Skygazing article from November 2004. 

Spoiler alert: If you don’t have time to follow links today, then the reason is something along the lines of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere colliding with electrically charged bits (ions) hurtling at high speeds from the Sun. Still I encourage you to read Ken Tapping’s description for a more accurate explanation of this geomagnetic hyperactivity.

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