Explanation:
What if your horizon was green?
If you've got a camera, take a picture!
That was the experience of Jeff Hapeman last week when visiting the
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in
Michigan.
On a quiet night toward the northern horizon over
Lake Superior
was a long lasting diffuse
green aurora.
The above image was taken in an effort to capture the
sense of wonder one gets when watching an auroral display.
Auroras
are sparked by
energetic particles from the
Sun impacting the
magnetic environment
around the Earth.
Resultant energetic particles such as
electrons and
protons
rain down near the Earth's poles and impact the air.
The impacted
air molecules
temporarily lose electrons, and when
oxygen molecules
among them reacquire these electrons, they emit
green light.
Auroras
are known to have many
shapes and
colors.
