Current:Home > StocksRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -Prosperity Pathways
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-14 11:45:50
A photographer in Minnesota was able to capture video of a mesmerizing northern lights display as swirls of red and green danced across the night sky.
Another geomagnetic storm made the colorful phenomena known as aurora borealis visible during the weekend across the Midwest region of the United States, and Carol Bauer was there to document it Sunday in Grand Marais.
“My husband and I traveled to Grand Marais to see the fall colors and were thrilled to get a great view of the northern lights too,” Bauer told Storyful.
Bauer is among millions of Americans who should expect to have more opportunities in the coming months to catch the striking display as the sun reaches the height of its 11-year cycle.
Watch the video Carol Bauer captured of the Northern Lights:
Northern lights visible across Midwest
Last week, a massive solar flare accompanied by coronal mass ejections – clouds of plasma and charged particles – made their way toward our planet, driving a geomagnetic storm that made the auroras visible in multiple northern U.S. states.
Though the the natural light display in Earth's sky is famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres, the northern lights became visible during the weekend across the U.S. In addition to Minnesota, the stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers could be seen in places along the U.S.-Canada border and even as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
Peak northern lights activity:What to know as sun reaches solar maximum
Peak aurora activity to coincide with height of solar cycle
Fortunately for aurora chasers, there will be far more opportunities to catch the northern lights soon.
Electromagnetic activity is increasing as the sun continues to reach the height of its 11-year solar cycle, which NASA said is expected to be in 2025.
As the sun reaches the peak of Solar Cycle 25, sunspots located in regions of intense magnetic activity should increase, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When that magnetic activity is released, it creates intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares hurtling toward Earth at the speed of light.
Some of these flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections that emerge from the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona.
These ejections can collide with Earth’s magnetosphere, the barrier protecting humanity from the harshest impacts of space weather, to produce geomagnetic storms that unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
veryGood! (9459)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Ayesha Curry Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 4 With Stephen Curry
- Armenians, Hmong and other groups feel US race and ethnicity categories don’t represent them
- A Confederate statue in North Carolina praises 'faithful slaves.' Some citizens want it gone
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Fire at amusement park in western India kills at least 20, police say
- One family lost 2 sons during WWII. It took 80 years to bring the last soldier home.
- Trump, RFK Jr. face hostile reception at Libertarian convention amid efforts to sway voters
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Jason Kelce Responds to Criticism Over Comments on Harrison Butker Controversy
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Two correctional officers sustain minor injuries after assault by two inmates at Minnesota prison
- AEW Double or Nothing 2024: Results, match grades, highlights and more for chaotic show
- Want to be a Roth IRA millionaire? 3 tips all retirees should know
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- AIPC: This Time, Generative AI Is Personal
- Military labs do the detective work to identify soldiers decades after they died in World War II
- Major retailers are offering summer deals to entice inflation-weary shoppers
Recommendation
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Golfer Grayson Murray's parents reveal his cause of death in emotional statement
Fans in Portugal camp out 24 hours before Eras Tour show to watch Taylor Swift
Pato O'Ward frustrated after heartbreaking finish at 2024 Indy 500: So (expletive) close
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Christian group temporarily opens beaches it has closed on Sunday mornings as court fight plays out
‘Furiosa,’ ‘Garfield’ lead slowest Memorial Day box office in decades
Taylor Swift adds three opening acts to her summer Eras Tour concerts in London