Current:Home > InvestRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -EquityExchange
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:56:35
A photographer in Minnesota was able to capture video of a mesmerizing northern lights display as swirls of red and green danced across the night sky.
Another geomagnetic storm made the colorful phenomena known as aurora borealis visible during the weekend across the Midwest region of the United States, and Carol Bauer was there to document it Sunday in Grand Marais.
“My husband and I traveled to Grand Marais to see the fall colors and were thrilled to get a great view of the northern lights too,” Bauer told Storyful.
Bauer is among millions of Americans who should expect to have more opportunities in the coming months to catch the striking display as the sun reaches the height of its 11-year cycle.
Watch the video Carol Bauer captured of the Northern Lights:
Northern lights visible across Midwest
Last week, a massive solar flare accompanied by coronal mass ejections – clouds of plasma and charged particles – made their way toward our planet, driving a geomagnetic storm that made the auroras visible in multiple northern U.S. states.
Though the the natural light display in Earth's sky is famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres, the northern lights became visible during the weekend across the U.S. In addition to Minnesota, the stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers could be seen in places along the U.S.-Canada border and even as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
Peak northern lights activity:What to know as sun reaches solar maximum
Peak aurora activity to coincide with height of solar cycle
Fortunately for aurora chasers, there will be far more opportunities to catch the northern lights soon.
Electromagnetic activity is increasing as the sun continues to reach the height of its 11-year solar cycle, which NASA said is expected to be in 2025.
As the sun reaches the peak of Solar Cycle 25, sunspots located in regions of intense magnetic activity should increase, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When that magnetic activity is released, it creates intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares hurtling toward Earth at the speed of light.
Some of these flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections that emerge from the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona.
These ejections can collide with Earth’s magnetosphere, the barrier protecting humanity from the harshest impacts of space weather, to produce geomagnetic storms that unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Taylor Swift “Completely in Shock” After Stabbing Attack at Themed Event in England
- Accusing Olympic leaders of blackmail over SLC 2034 threat, US lawmakers threaten payments to WADA
- Perfect photo of near-perfect surfer goes viral at 2024 Olympics
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Look: Ravens' Derrick Henry reviews USA rugby's Ilona Maher's viral stiff arm in 2024 Paris Olympics: 'She got it'
- Detroit mother gets 35+ years in prison for death of 3-year-old son found in freezer
- Des Moines officers kill suspect after he opened fire and critically wounded one of them, police say
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Income gap between Black and white US residents shrank between Gen Xers and millennials, study says
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Erica Ash, comedian and ‘Real Husbands of Hollywood’ and ‘Mad TV’ star, dies at 46
- How Stephen Nedoroscik Became Team USA's Pommel Horse Hero
- Francine Pascal, author of beloved ‘Sweet Valley High’ books, dead at 92
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Tesla recalling more than 1.8M vehicles due to hood issue
- Detroit mother gets 35+ years in prison for death of 3-year-old son found in freezer
- Detroit mother gets 35+ years in prison for death of 3-year-old son found in freezer
Recommendation
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Erica Ash, 'Mad TV' and 'Survivor's Remorse' star, dies at 46: Reports
The 25 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought This Month: Viral Beauty Products & More
Taylor Swift says she is ‘in shock’ after 2 children died in an attack on a UK dance class
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
Chants of 'Heil Hitler' shouted by antisemitic protestors at Israel Olympic soccer game
New Mexico gets OK to seek $675M in federal grant to expand high-speed internet across the state
Federal appeals court rules against Missouri’s waiting period for ex-lawmakers to lobby