Northern Lights in New England

On May 10, 2024, the weather phenomenon known as the Northern Lights appeared in Lexington. 

First coined as aurora borealis by Galileo in 1623, meaning light of dawn, an aurora is a natural light display in Earth’s sky predominantly seen in high-latitude regions. They occur when the sun blasts charged particles such as electrons and protons into space, also known as the solar wind. Usually, the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the solar wind, causing the magnetic field lines to be dragged and stretched. They snap back like a slingshot and launch charged particles down towards Earth’s magnetic field lines. Auroras occur as the charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating tiny flashes of light that eventually have the effect of a draping light curtain. This particular aurora was caused by a massive geomagnetic storm, one of the biggest since 2005, where a sunspot the width of 17 Earths spewed solar flares. 

The Northern Lights were viewable across the Northern Hemisphere, notably in Northern Europe and North America. Light pollution and cloudy weather may have prevented viewing, but most people in the Northern United States were in a good position to see the solar storm. However, many were unaware of this event due to how difficult it is to predict. Additionally, the Northern Lights are becoming more and more visible in places other than northern Europe, the place that it is most associated with. This is due to changing solar cycles, which are associated with high levels of sunspots and thus solar flares. The next solar cycle is predicted to peak in July 2025, with almost 115 sunspots forming in that month alone. 

by OLIVIA BAO