Current:Home > NewsRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -PrimeFinance
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-18 16:42:18
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! (1571)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Trump May Approve Strip Mining on Tennessee’s Protected Cumberland Plateau
- U.S. Solar Jobs Fell with Trump’s Tariffs, But These States Are Adding More
- Clean Energy Is a Winner in Several States as More Governors, Legislatures Go Blue
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- The Radical Case for Growing Huge Swaths of Bamboo in North America
- Book excerpt: American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal
- Mining Company’s Decision Lets Trudeau Off Hook, But Doesn’t Resolve Canada’s Climate Debate
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Astro-tourism: Expert tips on traveling to see eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth
Ranking
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Boy, 7, shot and killed during Florida jet ski dispute; grandfather wounded while shielding child
- Lea Michele, Lupita Nyong'o and More Stars Dazzle at the 2023 Tony Awards
- Q&A: Is Elizabeth Kolbert’s New Book a Hopeful Look at the Promise of Technology, or a Cautionary Tale?
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- EPA Environmental Justice Adviser Slams Pruitt’s Plan to Weaken Coal Ash Rules
- Jessie J Reveals Name of Her and Boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman's One-Month-Old Son
- Astro-tourism: Expert tips on traveling to see eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
The US Chamber of Commerce Has Helped Downplay the Climate Threat, a New Report Concludes
Philadelphia shooting suspect charged with murder as authorities reveal he was agitated leading up to rampage
5 Seconds of Summer Guitarist Michael Clifford Expecting First Baby With Wife Crystal Leigh
Travis Hunter, the 2
World Is Not on Track to Meet UN’s 2030 Sustainable Energy Goals
Keep Up With North West's First-Ever Acting Role in Paw Patrol Trailer
For a City Staring Down the Barrel of a Climate-Driven Flood, A New Study Could be the Smoking Gun