Aurora, Boom

AURORA, BOOM! On Jan. 11th, Bjørn Hugo Hansen of Øverbygd, Norway, observed an explosive display of auroras--with sound effects. "The temperature was -27 C, and I was standing on the ice by our cabin. In the distance I could hear cracking sounds from the ice, a strange sound like a mix of whale bubbles hitting the ice and a small earthquake. This happens often. I believe it is stronger tonight, though, because of a big drop in temperature. Faint auroras were dancing quietly overhead when I spoke to myself -- 'Come on Aurora – give me all you got.' And BOOM! The sky exploded behind me." This is what he saw:

 

"Lady Aurora twisted around the sky, she threw her bridal veil all around," continues Hansen. "I was in ecstasy … and as if that was not enough,  the ice under me made a large DRUN! I had never heard the sound of the ice crack this close before, almost right under me. It was an enormous sound. A thin crack 5mm wide rushed across the lake. Then it became quiet and Aurora disappeared. AMAZING!"

 

LIGHT PILLARS: Winter is unfolding around the northern hemisphere. As temperatures drop, pillars of light are springing up from ground. Janis Satrovskis of Valmiera, Latvia, photographed this specimen on Jan. 14th:

 



 

Light pillars are a common sight around northern cities in winter. Urban lights bounce off ice crystals in the air, producing tall luminous columns sometimes mistaken for auroras. Usually the ice crystals are natural, such as snow flakes, but in this case the atmospheric optics were artificial.

"The amazing phenomenon was created by snow blowing machines," explains Satrovskis. "These are our first days with temperatures below zero and ski resorts are making snow. A slight breeze carried manmade snow over the city, creating a spectacular view."

Light pillars are springing up in cold cities around the world. Is yours one of them?

From SpaceWeather.com