The skies have been illuminated by some wondrous spectacles over the last week. First, the strongest solar flare in more than six years bombarded the Earth with radiation. And then an especially luminous aurora borealis—aka the northern lights—blanketed the skies around the world, from Norway to Alaska, in the middle of the week. Watch a video of the phenomenon from over Birtavarre, Norway below.
An aurora borealis occurs when solar storms send electrically charged particles flying into the atmosphere, causing ribbons of light to flutter through the skies. "For a long time, we had one of the quietest periods of electromagnetic activity," said geologist Yuri Shprits of the University of California, Los Angeles. "After such a long time the sun is waking up and it's big news." We can't say for sure, but perhaps this phenomenon had something to do with the announcement that Neil Young and Crazy Horse have been recording a new album?
Shprits added that there will likely be much more aurora activity in the near future, particular over the skies of Alaska. Below, check out footage of the phenomenon from the southwestern U.S.
