Tennessee Experiences Northern Lights

Many people in the south experienced a rare incident — an Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights on Friday, May 10.

The geomagnetic storm is comprised of very strong solar wind that force charged protons and electrons that are emitted from the sun into the Earth’s magnetic field. The solar winds must funnel the protons and electrons into the Earth’s atmosphere through the north and south poles. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, they entered through the North Pole, which is where the nickname “Northern Lights” stems from in regard to the Aurora Borealis.

The protons and electrons then collide with various molecules in the atmosphere and through that collision, and creates beautiful colors in the sky. The different colors created depends on how many kilometers they reach in the atmosphere and what kind of molecules they’re colliding with, such as oxygen and nitrogen.

The last time the aurora could be seen in Tennessee was in November 2004 and January 2005.