At dawn on Saturday, the Northern Lights made a rare appearance for the 13th time in the past 500 years, gracing western Greece and extending as far as Athens.
Their visibility followed a geomagnetic storm classified as G5 by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), indicating ‘intense-extreme’ activity. Storms of this magnitude can potentially disrupt infrastructure, including satellites and the power grid. The most recent storm of comparable intensity transpired in October 2003, resulting in power outages in Sweden and infrastructure damage in South Africa.
The intensity of the Sun’s activity fluctuates in 11-year cycles, and this year signifies the approach toward the peak of another cycle.
Auroras, known as the Aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere and Aurora australis in the southern hemisphere, manifest when high-energy particles such as electrons and protons emitted by the Sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere.
The colors observed in the sky depend on the type of molecule these charged particles collide with. For instance, collisions with nitrogen produce a red hue, whereas collisions with oxygen produce a green one, according to Space.com.
Typically, these colorful formations are visible nearer the Earth’s poles. However, this year, due to heightened solar activity, the Northern Lights were sighted as far south as the Canary Islands, situated west of Morocco.
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