Ohio Lights Up: Rare 'Northern Lights' Seen Across the State [PHOTOS]
Ohio Lights Up: Rare ‘Northern Lights’ Seen Across the State [PHOTOS]
Ohioans who looked up Tuesday night were in for a solar treat… The northern lights made an unexpected appearance!
Between 8:30PM and 11PM, the aurora borealis was visible across Cincinnati, Columbus, to Cleveland. The glow began to fade shortly after 10PM, but not before sky watchers could captured the lights on camera.
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Former Cincinnati Observatory astronomer Dean Regas said the event was tied to a “G4-class geomagnetic storm”, one of the most powerful categories.
Regas: “Auroras are caused by massive eruptions on the surface of the sun. Solar material blasts off the sun and rockets through space at over one million miles per hour. After several days that material slams into the Earth’s magnetic field and creates northern lights.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that several coronal mass ejections (bursts of energy from the sun) reached Earth’s atmosphere Tuesday evening.
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While the light show dims late in the night, Regas said Ohioans shouldn’t rule out another appearance.
“The sun is still extremely active and is sending more material our way…”
Last year’s strongest solar storm in two decades produced similar lights across the Northern Hemisphere, and this week, Ohio got its turn under the historic glow.
Drive away from the city lights and take a chance to go see them for yourselves before November 13th.
Check out photos from across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana to see the Northern Lights!
