2023-11-05 22:13:00
New northern lights can again be observed on Sunday evening and during the night from Sunday to Monday in the Alpine regions of Switzerland. This is the second time in the space of a month that it is possible to admire this colorful natural spectacle, at least where the clouds dissipate.
The Northern Lights are rare in the Alpine region (illustrative image).
KEYSTONE
The Northern Lights are rare in the Alpine region, MeteoNews said in a press release on Sunday evening. This phenomenon, which had however already occurred on the night of September 24 to 25 in Switzerland, generally occurs especially in the polar regions.
Aurora borealis seen from Säntis on the night of September 24 to 25, 2023.
Meteosuisse / roundshot.com
The Northern Lights, also called “polar lights”, are the result of an interaction between charged particles coming from space and the Earth’s atmosphere. They are triggered by the so-called solar wind, which consists of charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, ejected by the sun.
Oxygen makes the lights green
When this solar wind reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, the charged particles are deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field and directed towards the polar regions.
They then collide with gases in the atmosphere, mainly oxygen and nitrogen. This phenomenon releases energy and light. The stronger the solar winds, the further into the south of the northern hemisphere the northern lights are visible.
The color of the Northern Lights depends on the type of gas particles the charged particles collide with as well as the altitude at which these interactions occur.
Green aurora borealis is often due to interaction with oxygen in the upper layers of the atmosphere, while red or purple colors indicate the presence of nitrogen in the reaction.
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