COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Northern Lights were visible in Columbus overnight, creating a symphony of color in the night sky over the city.
They are visible due to a “severe” geomagnetic storm that reached Earth on Thursday, with the Space Weather Prediction Center saying the aurora may be visible over much of the northern half of the country Thursday night and again on Friday night.
The aurora borealis is visible when electrons collide with the upper parts of the Earth’s atmosphere, according to the NOAA. The electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere and excite the atoms and molecules to higher states before releasing energy in the form of light and relaxing back down, according to wire reports.
Republic Photo Editor Mike Wolanin captured these images Thursday night in Columbus.
