Aurora borealis - The Northern Lights

 The Northern lights 

By Lachlan Royle 

History 

The Northern lights is a peculiar phenomenon most often observed in the Northern hemisphere, Alaska and Iceland being particularly fruitful locations to observe them. However on the 10th May many parts of the UK including Norfolk were able to observe the Lights in a way that has seldom before been seen in this part of the world. This occurrence was due to a strong solar flare on the Sun's surface, the charged particles interacted with the oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere creating the iconic array of reds and greens we've come to know. 

The scientific term Aurora Borealis can be broken down into two parts. Aurora is a reference to the Roman goddess of dawn. Borealis is in reference to an ancient Greek term meaning north wind. The occurrence of the lights is due to solar wind interacting with earths magnetic field. It is a globally revered sight with people willing to travel thousands of miles in order to increase their chance of seeing them. There is a counterpart of the Northern lights in the southern hemisphere called the Aurora Australis, Australis coming from the name of the Greek god of the south wind; Auster. In order to photograph the Northern lights properly it is advised to tune settings that help to avoid overexposure. 

Whilst not being a species in itself I felt that a blog on this wondrous spectacle was fitting given the rarity of the occasion. There is a chance in years to come it will be seen more frequently further south due to increased environmental stresses.