Current:Home > ContactRed and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video -Blueprint Wealth Network
Red and green swirls of northern lights captured dancing in Minnesota sky: Video
View
Date:2025-04-15 13:20:58
A photographer in Minnesota was able to capture video of a mesmerizing northern lights display as swirls of red and green danced across the night sky.
Another geomagnetic storm made the colorful phenomena known as aurora borealis visible during the weekend across the Midwest region of the United States, and Carol Bauer was there to document it Sunday in Grand Marais.
“My husband and I traveled to Grand Marais to see the fall colors and were thrilled to get a great view of the northern lights too,” Bauer told Storyful.
Bauer is among millions of Americans who should expect to have more opportunities in the coming months to catch the striking display as the sun reaches the height of its 11-year cycle.
Watch the video Carol Bauer captured of the Northern Lights:
Northern lights visible across Midwest
Last week, a massive solar flare accompanied by coronal mass ejections – clouds of plasma and charged particles – made their way toward our planet, driving a geomagnetic storm that made the auroras visible in multiple northern U.S. states.
Though the the natural light display in Earth's sky is famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres, the northern lights became visible during the weekend across the U.S. In addition to Minnesota, the stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers could be seen in places along the U.S.-Canada border and even as far south as Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
Peak northern lights activity:What to know as sun reaches solar maximum
Peak aurora activity to coincide with height of solar cycle
Fortunately for aurora chasers, there will be far more opportunities to catch the northern lights soon.
Electromagnetic activity is increasing as the sun continues to reach the height of its 11-year solar cycle, which NASA said is expected to be in 2025.
As the sun reaches the peak of Solar Cycle 25, sunspots located in regions of intense magnetic activity should increase, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. When that magnetic activity is released, it creates intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares hurtling toward Earth at the speed of light.
Some of these flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections that emerge from the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona.
These ejections can collide with Earth’s magnetosphere, the barrier protecting humanity from the harshest impacts of space weather, to produce geomagnetic storms that unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
veryGood! (63)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- New Study Suggests Major Climate Reports May Be Underestimating Drought Risks
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 4? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Riding wave of unprecedented popularity, WNBA announces 15th team will go to Portland
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Best Collagen Face Masks for Firmer, Glowing Skin, According to an Expert
- NFL power rankings Week 3: Chiefs still No. 1, but top five overhaul occurs after chaotic weekend
- As Jimmy Carter nears his 100th birthday, a musical gala celebrates the ‘rock-and-roll president’
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- RHOSLC Alum Monica Garcia Returning to TV in Villainous New Role
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Florida sheriff posts mug shot of 11-year-old charged in fake school shooting threat
- WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026
- Atlantic City mayor, wife indicted for allegedly beating and abusing their teenage daughter
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- What to know about the threats in Springfield, Ohio, after false claims about Haitian immigrants
- Fire destroys 105-year-old post office on Standing Rock Reservation
- Police seek a pair who took an NYC subway train on a joyride and crashed it
Recommendation
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
Jealousy, fear, respect: How Caitlin Clark's been treated by WNBA players is complicated
What to know about the pipeline fire burning for a third day in Houston’s suburbs
See Inside Gigi Hadid's Daughter Khai's Super Sweet 4th Birthday Party
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Ellen DeGeneres Addresses Workplace Scandal in Teaser for Final Comedy Special
Texas pipeline fire continues to burn in Houston suburb after Monday's explosion
See Inside Gigi Hadid's Daughter Khai's Super Sweet 4th Birthday Party