What are some fun facts about aurora borealis?
The science of the northern lights
- The northern lights are initially caused by the sun.
- An aurora display is actually a distortion in the earth’s magnetic field.
- The northern lights occur around 100km above the earth.
- The northern lights are only visible when it’s dark, but they can occur at any time.
Are the Northern Lights visible from Ireland?
The Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis are visible from Ireland. So, the chances are, you can soak up the greatest show on earth a stone’s throw from your house!
How often can you see the Northern Lights in Ireland?
9 pm to 1 am
Northern lights in Ireland are usually visible from 9 pm to 1 am during the period from September through March. The time of fall, winter, and spring equinoxes usually feature more frequent auroras due to increased geomagnetic activity.
Where is the best place in Ireland to see the Northern Lights?
Malin Head Co. As Ireland’s northernmost point, Malin Head offers the best chance to see the Aurora Borealis. It is located on the Inishowen peninsula, in Donegal. Banba’s Crown is the northern tip of the head, perfect for watching the skies.
Is the aurora borealis hot?
The northern lights look like fire, but they wouldn’t feel like one. Even though the temperature of the upper atmosphere can reach thousands of degrees Fahrenheit, the heat is based on the average speed of the molecules.
Why shouldn’t you whistle at the Northern Lights?
Don’t whistle at the Northern Lights Alerted to your presence, the spirits of the lights will come down and take you away. Having said that, North American Indians often whistled at the Northern Lights to encourage them to come closer so they could whisper messages that would then be taken to the dead.
What the aurora borealis means?
dawn of the north
‘Aurora borealis’, the lights of the northern hemisphere, means ‘dawn of the north’. ‘Aurora australis’ means ‘dawn of the south’. In Roman myths, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn.
What causes aurora borealis?
The lights we see in the night sky are in actual fact caused by activity on the surface of the Sun. Solar storms on our star’s surface give out huge clouds of electrically charged particles. The aurora’s characteristic wavy patterns and ‘curtains’ of light are caused by the lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field.
What does Borealis mean?
aurora
: an aurora that occurs in earth’s northern hemisphere.
Why is Aurora Borealis Green?
The most common color seen in the Northern Lights is green. When the solar wind hits millions of oxygen atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere at the same time, it excites the oxygen atoms for a time and they decay back to their original state, when they emit the green hue we can see from the ground.
Does aurora mean Rose?
The name Aurora is primarily a female name of Latin origin that means Dawn. Aurora Borealis is a name for the Northern Lights. Nicknames for Aurora include Arie, Rory, and Aura. The most famous fictional Aurora is Princess Aurora from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty also known as Briar Rose.
What language is Borealis?
The word borealis is Latin for boreal, which simply means “northern.” The aurora borealis is not the only aurora on Earth. The aurora in the Southern Hemisphere is called aurora australis or the southern lights.
Which is the best time to witness Aurora Borealis?
The best time to witness the Aurora is during the fall and the winter (late August to March) from 10pm to 3am. The best weather condition in which to view the Aurora is under a clear and dark sky.
When to see Northern Lights in Ireland?
It is still possible to see the northern lights in summer but most of the time the brighter lights render the spectacle invisible. The best viewing time in Ireland is usually somewhere between 9pm and 1am from November to February.
Where is the best place to watch the aurora borealis?
Alaska, aptly nicknamed The Last Frontier State, is the northernmost state in the US and the best place in America to see this awe-inspiring natural light show. The ideal time to spot the Aurora Borealis in Alaska is from the middle of September to late April. The natural phenomenon peaks during the month of March.
How and where to see the Northern Lights in Ireland?
Ireland’s most northerly point is located on the Inishowen peninsula Malin Head, Co. Donegal. It is a place where you have a better chance of viewing or sighting the northern light. You can watch the sky at the raised beaches of Ballyhillion while listening to the boom of the Atlantic waves rolling in.