Current:Home > ScamsRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -EliteFunds
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-26 11:05:22
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 [email protected]
veryGood! (49)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Warming Trends: A Hidden Crisis, a Forest to Visit Virtually and a New Trick for Atmospheric Rivers
- After Dozens of Gas Explosions, a Community Looks for Alternatives to Natural Gas
- Lala Kent Reacts to Raquel Leviss' Tearful Confession on Vanderpump Rules Reunion
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Plan to Burn Hurricane Debris Sparks Health Fears in U.S. Virgin Islands
- Devastated Puerto Rico Tests Fairness of Response to Climate Disasters
- 5 Ways Trump’s Clean Power Rollback Strips Away Health, Climate Protections
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Get $95 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Skincare Masks for 50% Off
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- No major flight disruptions from new 5G wireless signals around airports
- Mark Consuelos Reveals Warning Text He Received From Daughter Lola During Live With Kelly & Mark
- DC Young Fly Shares How His and Jacky Oh's Kids Are Coping Days After Her Death
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Migrant workers said to be leaving Florida over new immigration law
- Why Tom Holland Is Taking a Year-Long Break From Acting
- South Dakota Backs Off Harsh New Protest Law and ‘Riot-Boosting’ Penalties
Recommendation
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
The Ultimatum: Queer Love Relationship Status Check: Who's Still Together?
What’s Behind Big Oil’s Promises of Emissions Cuts? Lots of Wiggle Room.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Prince Archie Receives Royally Sweet 4th Birthday Present
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Extra! New strategies for survival by South Carolina newspapers
Texas Charges Oil Port Protesters Under New Fossil Fuel Protection Law
Andy Cohen Promises VPR Reunion Will Upset Every Woman in America