Photo Credit: X/@OldDairyLowRow
Avid photographers from across the world have captured the moment the Northern Lights lit up the skies across multiple countries.
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei coined the name "aurora borealis" in 1619 named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas.
Photo Credit: X/@cassidyrachel
As per Space.com, the northern lights are an atmospheric phenomenon that's regarded as the Holy Grail of skywatching.
Photo Credit: X/@TheSwedishSaga
The sun keeps ejecting charged particles from its upper atmosphere, creating what's called the 'solar wind'. When that wind slams into Earth's upper atmosphere, the aurora is born. In the Northern Hemisphere, the phenomenon is called the northern lights (aurora borealis), while in the Southern Hemisphere, it's called the southern lights (aurora australis).
Photo Credit: X/@EdSligo
This breathtaking light show is a rather violent event where energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 72 million kph.
Photo Credit: X/@markhume
Earth's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught when this particles dash our planet's surface.
Photo Credit: X/@econaturehols
As Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles, the dramatic process transforms into a cinematic atmospheric phenomenon that dazzles and fascinates scientists and skywatchers alike.
Photo Credit: X/@christttina