Solar Explosions Create Aurora Borealis in Parts of US, Canada

By Staff, Agencies

For several hours, the unique astral display will be visible in the parts of the US and Canada that are located quite far from the polar regions of Earth – and that's before winter has even started!

A massive burst of solar energy that hit the planet earlier this week will cause Northern Lights to be seen in some parts of the United States and Canada, scholars announced on Wednesday.

"Weather permitting, highly active auroral displays will be visible overhead from Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit to Juneau, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Sept-Iles, and visible low on the horizon from Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and Halifax", the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute stated.

The Northern or polar lights can often be seen in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as a result of powerful solar winds that cause disturbances in the atmosphere, hitting it with a flow of the electrically charged particles, and creating a colorful glow in the sky.