Current:Home > FinanceRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -WorldMoney
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-24 14:53:43
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! (78)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Google CEO testifies at trial of collapsed startup Ozy Media and founder Carlos Watson
- AI startup Perplexity wants to upend search business. News outlet Forbes says it’s ripping them off
- RFK Jr. offers foreign policy views on Ukraine, Israel, vows to halve military spending
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Some Mexican shelters see crowding south of the border as Biden’s asylum ban takes hold
- France gets cycling Olympic medal 124 years late
- Harry Jowsey Hints He Found His Perfect Match in Jessica Vestal
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Trump once defied the NRA to ban bump stocks. He now says he ‘did nothing’ to restrict guns
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Virginia's Lake Anna being tested after swimmers report E. coli infections, hospitalizations
- Demolition of the Parkland classroom building where 17 died in 2018 shooting begins
- Stay Dry This Summer: 21 Essential Waterproof Products to Secure Your Vacation Fun
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Texas man dies, woman injured by electrocution in hot tub at Mexico resort
- The Sphere in Las Vegas really is a 'quantum leap' for live music: Inside the first shows
- Tom Brady’s Kids Jack, Benjamin and Vivian Look All Grown Up in Family Photos
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Peloton instructor Kendall Toole announces departure: 'See you in the next adventure'
6 suspected poachers arrested over killing of 26 endangered Javan rhinos
These 5 U.S. cities have been hit hardest by inflation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
Bridgerton Star Luke Newton Confirms Romance With Dancer Antonia Roumelioti
A 9-year-old boy is fatally shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 'It should not have happened'
Taylor Swift performs 'I Can See You' in Liverpool where she shot the music video