photo credit: Desdamona Vance
Parts of Atlantic Canada were treated to a performance of the Northern Lights last night!
I looked but wasn’t able to see them in Port Hawkesbury.
There were sightings around the Quad Counties (and beyond) Pictures were sent to The Hawk from Chapel Island, Margaree, River Bourgeois, Port Hood, Mabou and more!
You can check out the pictures here.
Looking at the photos, I realized I actually have no idea what causes the Northern Lights, so I did some research.
The lights are the result of electrically charged particles from space entering the Earth’s upper atmosphere at a very high speed.
The colors come from atoms that makes up the atmosphere of the earth. When the particles mix with the atoms they create different colors.
The purple color that many saw last nights is actually a rare occurrence. It usually only happens during a very active display.
Interestingly, Newfoundland and Labrador is listed as one of the best places to view the Northern Lights in Canada. Seeing them in Nova Scotia was a lucky mix of clear conditions during an active event.
