Northern Lights seen again over part of Ukraine
8 October 2024 13:43
ФОТО
On the night of 8 October, some residents of the southern and western regions of Ukraine could again see the northern lights in the sky, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
In the west of the country, the phenomenon was reportedly observed in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
In the south, the northern lights were seen in Odesa region:
The celestial beauty also reached Mykolaiv:
As reported 
, a magnetic storm is currently raging, and it is the reason for the northern lights over the territory of Ukraine.
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What is the northern lights
The Aurora Borealis is a rapidly changing optical phenomenon of the glow of certain areas of the night sky in the polar regions. It occurs in the upper atmosphere (at altitudes of 60-100 km) under the influence of streams of charged particles that the Earth’s magnetic field directs towards the poles. Charged particles collide with molecules or atoms of atmospheric gases, excite them and cause them to emit visible light. The predominant radiation is created by the forbidden lines of atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen, which form the green-red gamut.
The aurora can be distinguished by its shape as a diffuse glow with arcs, rays, ribbons, coronas, and spots. It can last from several minutes to several days. The frequency of the aurora borealis correlates with the 11-year solar cycle, the time of year, and the 27-day period. In addition to the Earth, auroras have also been recorded on Jupiter and Saturn. Interestingly, in July 2023, scientists discovered a new type of aurora on Earth, which glows in the infrared and occurs at an altitude of about 90 km as a result of the interaction of charged particles with carbon dioxide molecules.
The aurora is usually observed at a distance of 20-35° from the Earth’s magnetic poles, but during magnetic storms it can also occur at lower latitudes. Until now, it was believed that the aurora was observed at the latitudes of Ukraine once every few years, but this year magnetic storms have become more frequent, so today’s aurora is the fourth since the beginning of the year in Ukraine.
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