VIDEO: Spectacular Aurora Borealis Over Michigan

Last Updated: October 25. 2011 11:57AM
Sky watchers in awe of vivid northern lights display over much of Michigan
The Detroit News
Sky watchers around Michigan were treated to a spectacularly vivid show of
the northern lights, or aurora borealis, over much of the state last night.

Emissions of solar plasma from the sun started hitting the earth at about 2
p.m., sparking a geomagnetic storm, according to spaceweather.com. It
produced vivid red, green and white swaths of color in the sky, according to
many observers.

"It was as great as I've ever seen them. Stunning, exhilarating," said
photographer Shawn Malone, owner of Lake Superior Photo in Marquette, whose
pictures accompany this article. "I had to pick my jaw up off the ground."

Malone has been shooting the lights over Lake Superior for more than 10
years.

The northern lights were visible around the globe and as far south as
Arkansas in the continental U.S. Many areas of Michigan got a great display.

Social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook helped spread the word
for enthusiasts to go outdoors and get a glimpse. The Detroit News tweeted
about the display around 10 p.m. to alert its followers on twitter.com.

The aurora is created when the electrically charged particles from the sun
collide with gases at high altitudes in the earth's atmosphere. Collisions
with different gases at different altitudes vary the color of the lights.

Don't expect a repeat of the vivid show tonight, spaceweather.com warns. The
storm is subsiding already, and there's only a chance of some display
tonight.


http://www.detnews.com/article/20111025/METRO/110250393/Sky-watchers-in-awe-of-vivid-northern-lights-display-over-much-of-Michigan