 width=220 border=0> |
|
| The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, shine over the town of Stedman, North Carolina, Monday. The reddish glow in the northern sky was seen as far south as Texas. | |
Posted on 11/07/2001 9:53:46 AM PST by callisto
November 6, 2001 Posted: 4:40 PM EST (2140 GMT)
|
||||
AP) -- The Northern Lights appeared with rare intensity in skies across the United States, treating onlookers as far south as Georgia and Alabama to a shimmering display of blue, red and green.
The ghostly streaks, also known as the aurora borealis, are rarely seen south of Canada and Alaska.
Monday night's display began around 8:50 p.m. EST, prompting alarmed calls to law enforcement authorities.
Sonoma County, California, emergency dispatcher Randy Muelheim said some callers thought it might be "a terrorist thing."
"Some thought we were being bombed," said Mike Melton, emergency management director for Colbert County, Alabama. "I got concerned that it might have been an airplane going down."
The broad blue and green spiked band was tinged with brilliant red areas.
The sky was "almost like a fluorescent red," with the intensity of the light changing at intervals, said Rick Anderson of Stewartstown, West Virginia. "What was really awesome was I looked through my back yard, where I could see the horizon, and it looked like rays coming from the ground up into the sky."
The Northern Lights occur when charged particles streaming away from the sun interact with different gases in Earth's atmosphere. A large solar flare on Sunday probably caused the lights to be visible farther south than usual, said Brian Murphy, director of Butler University's Holcomb Observatory in Indianapolis. The lights could return nightly through about Thursday but should weaken in intensity, he said. "It's incredible," said Dan Satterfield, WHNT-TV meteorologist in Huntsville, Alabama. "The last time we saw a display of this kind was 15 or 16 years ago. It's one of the better ones I've ever seen, especially this far south." On the Web site spaceweather.com, photographers from California, Alaska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Idaho, New Jersey and Georgia posted their pictures.
Roar, roar for Nora
For Nora in the Night
Has seen Aurora Borealis
Burning bright
Ashland, Missouri
Thanks for the heads up...I've been busy this week and have neglected my morning viewing. There's nothing like a good reason to get up early and go out into the crisp morning air. I look forward to it!
In the early eighties, my wife and I staid at a bed and breakfast in northern Vermont during the summer. The northern lights were particularly strong that summer and curtains of light lasted for most of the night. The owner of the hotel was a young man in his thirties and his wife was an Inca from Peru. That woman stood outside the entire night without moving, mesmerized. In all a very magnificent display.
Also saw Venus and Mercury last week from Cincinnati, Cincinnatus.
Thanks!
BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
