December 3, 2024
Rare Northern Lights sighting in the Norfolk sky

Rare Northern Lights sighting in the Norfolk sky

The natural phenomenon – also known as the Aurora Borealis – is typically seen closer to the Arctic Circle in places like Norway and Iceland.

Simon Luckman observed the Northern Lights along with the Perseid meteor shower in the early hours of the morning in Caister-on-Sea.

According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, auroras are caused by atoms and molecules in our atmosphere colliding with solar particles.

The wave-like light patterns are created by the lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field and the different colors are caused by different gases – green is characteristic of oxygen, while violet, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.

Meteorologists have also announced that celestial fireworks will once again light up the night sky tonight, as the Perseid meteor shower is expected to be visible.

When the Earth flies through a cloud of comet dust, people may be able to see up to 100 meteors per hour.

If skies are clear, the meteor shower should be visible across the UK from around sunset on Monday until the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The event is related to the dusty remains of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.

The comet’s meteoroids, which are usually no larger than a grain of sand, burn up when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 58 kilometers per second, creating a flash of light in the sky.

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