March 1, 2023 – Aurora Borealis

Earlier this week, a rare phenomenon happened in Rochester – we could see the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis! Normally, they’re only seen in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic. They happen when gas particles in the Earth’s atmosphere and charged particles from the Sun’s atmosphere collide. When these flares reach Earth’s magnetic field, it creates a vivid light show that covers the entire sky. There are also southern lights, also called aurora australis, which are visible from places like Antarctica, New Zealand, and Australia. Aurora australis changes simultaneously with the aurora borealis. Other planets have their own auroras, too. They’ve been witnessed on Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. Learn more here.