Northern Lights return to Fuquay-Varina

If you looked up into the sky Oct. 10 from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m., you may have seen an amazing phenomenon we call the Northern Lights. Their scientific name is Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere calls them the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis. 

The auroras are a special event that happens when our sun creates a huge solar wind. This wind has one million tons of hot plasma. Plasma has electrons, protons, and other particles. Earth’s magnetosphere is a shield that protects us from it, but some of those particles move the strong Earth’s magnetosphere. The particles bounce from the North and South poles transferring energy which creates an excess of energy, creating the colorful lights we see in the sky. 

Senior Kaitlyn Matthews drove around with her mother and sister searching for the lights. She dreamed of seeing the lights.

 “I think it’s just really cool,” said Matthews.

The solar particles interact with different gas molecules, mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen makes green and red lights while nitrogen creates blue and purple. The most common colors to see are green lights. 

Senior Madelyn Smith said, “It was so cool. I have never seen anything like it before.” She never thought she would be able to see the Northern Lights at all and enjoyed seeing the colors. She could see them directly from her house.

“It is something I thought I would have to travel to see but instead I could go on my porch and see. I hope they stick around,” said Smith.

Auroras can cause minor radio communication issues, but besides that, they are harmless to Earth. Other planets also have northern and southern lights too. Scientists have seen them on Saturn and Jupiter. 

Junior Kaila Schafer said seeing the Northern Lights in her backyard was magical. Schafer never thought she would be able to see the lights. 

“It’s so special for me because they are so rare. Usually you can only go to specific places to see them,” said Schafer.

Look up in the sky every once and a while. You may be able to see the amazing wonders of Northern Lights. If they are not visible, take a picture with your phone on night mode. You might be able to capture a colorful, once-in-a-lifetime memory.