Totally different colors than what we saw in May.
Aurora Borealis is a RARE phenomenon in our area.
Tonight's was only the 3rd one that I've ever seen here since the very early 2000's. Two of those have been this year, in 2024.
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Colors Explained
Red light at the top of an aurora comes from monatomic oxygen (O). At lower latitudes, sometimes only the red aurora appears, facing the north (northern hemisphere) or south (southern hemisphere). The other colors are below the horizon line.
Yellow-Green [100-300 km (60- 180 mi)]: Vivid lime green is the most common color of the aurora. It comes from monatomic oxygen (O), but while the red aurora comes from oxygen absorbing solar radiation, green comes from oxygen atoms colliding with lower-energy electrons released by excited nitrogen molecules (N2+).
When the red bleeds into the yellowish green from oxygen, you get orange aurora like above. Clouds, moonlight, and sunlight from sunrise or sunset also affect the color you see. The light show tonight did not last for as long as the one did in the Spring. Nor was it as dramatic here as it was for those living farther North. Even so, it was a real treat to witness.
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Above was shot from our front yard.
There were too many trees to get the full effect of the lights dancing across the sky.
However, I was happy anyhow.
Copyrighted Image. DO NOT DOWNLOAD, copy, reproduce, or use in any way without written permission from Elizabeth Bickel.