From: luk
Bolzano – An extraordinary natural spectacle marked the beginning of the year in Val Gardena and other parts of South Tyrol: On the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the northern lights lit up the sky. The play of colors of soft pink and violet bathed the snow-covered peaks of the Dolomites in a magical atmosphere and amazed the observers. The spectacle could also be observed from Eppan. The spectacle could be captured especially in photos with long exposures.
Rare phenomenon in South Tyrol
Northern lights, also known as northern lights, are a rare phenomenon in our latitudes. Experts explain the phenomenon with increased solar activity, which makes these magical sky lights visible even outside the polar regions.
Social media buzz
State meteorologist Dieter Peterlin shared his joy about the impressive spectacle on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter):
You can now see the northern lights again over Central Europe and South Tyrol! The new year is starting well, wow.
Anyone who missed the Northern Lights this time can hope that if solar activity continues to be high, such events could occur again in the near future.
What are northern lights and how are they created?
Northern Lights, also known as Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) or Southern Lights (Aurora Australis), are an impressive natural phenomenon caused by solar activity.
The phenomenon occurs when electrically charged particles emitted by the sun (solar wind) hit the Earth’s atmosphere. These particles are guided by Earth’s magnetic field to the polar regions, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere.
Colors and their causes:
Green: The most common color is caused by the impact of the particles on oxygen molecules at an altitude of around 100 km.
Red: Also caused by oxygen, but in higher atmospheric layers (over 200 km).
Blue and violet: These colors arise when the particles meet nitrogen molecules.
Why in South Tyrol?
Normally, auroras are only visible near the poles. However, when there is strong solar activity, the particles can advance further towards the equator and also become visible in Central Europe – like last night.
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