Many people in Maine have had amazing views of the Northern Lights over the last few months. Not long ago, there was a beautiful evening show of colours in Central Maine. The sky was a mix of deep reds and purples and different shades of green.
It looks like a lot of people here in the Pine Tree State might get to see the lights again on Monday night (September 30), as long as the weather is nice.
According to WGME 13 that the Northern Lights showed up out of the blue over Maine on Sunday night. Now, weather experts say that the same thing will likely happen on Monday night.
The weather is supposed to be pretty mild tonight, so it should be a great time to go outside and try to see, photograph, or both!
Even though I’m interested in space, I didn’t know much about the science behind these amazing “lights,” so this morning I read up on it. A huge amount of reading.
According to Space.com that the Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are made when charged particles from the sun combine with the magnetic field of Earth.
The website says that the sun constantly sends out a stream of charged particles, mostly electrons and protons. This stream is called the solar wind. The website also says that solar storms or coronal mass ejections can sometimes make these particles stronger.
According to Space.com, when these particles hit Earth, they are pushed towards the poles by the planet’s magnetic field. They then hit gas molecules in the atmosphere as they headed towards the poles.
Also, as always, please send us any amazing pictures you take of the light show through our free station app!