Current:Home > NewsRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -Wealth Nexus Pro
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-19 05:39:27
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! (64)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Trader Joe's $2.99 mini tote bags now sell for $500 on eBay
- Most automated driving systems aren’t good making sure drivers pay attention, insurance group says
- Horoscopes Today, March 11, 2024
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- What's next for Minnesota? Vikings QB options after Kirk Cousins signs with Falcons
- Angela Chao, shipping industry exec, died on Texas ranch after her car went into a pond, report says
- Reddit looking to raise almost $750 million in initial public offering
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Will Dolly Parton be on Beyoncé's new country album? Here's what she had to say
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Below Deck's Fraser Olender Is Ready to Fire This Crewmember in Tense Sneak Peek
- OSCARS PHOTOS: Standout moments from the 96th Academy Awards, from the red carpet through the show
- Across the Nation, Lawmakers Aim to Ban Lab-Grown Meat
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- $5,000 reward offered for arrest of person who killed a whooping crane in Mamou
- Sister Wives' Maddie Brown Brush Honors Beautiful Brother Garrison Brown After His Death
- Love Is Blind’s Brittany Mills and Kenneth Gorham Share Cryptic Video Together Ahead of Reunion
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
CHUNG HA is ready for a new chapter: 'It's really important from now to share my stories'
Cousins leaves Vikings for big new contract with Falcons in QB’s latest well-timed trip to market
Man arrested in California after Massachusetts shooting deaths of woman and her 11-year-old daughter
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Crash of small private jet in rural Virginia kills all 5 on board, authorities say
TEA Business College: A leader in financial professional education
Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform’s listings worldwide