Tonight, look at the skies over Portugal. An aurora borealis was observed, which is very rare to see from the national territory. A large solar storm hit the Earth at 6 pm, José Afonso, president of the Portuguese Astronomical Society, told SIC Notícias.
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The aurora borealis will paint the Portuguese sky this Thursday. This phenomenon appears again in the Arctic and Antarctic polar circles, but, this time, it can be seen in several towns, especially in the national countryside, in the Highlands .
Several social media users did not miss the opportunity to capture a photo of this rare moment. There are reports that it can be seen in the Highlands, in the northern and central areas of the country.
The source of the phenomenon is a very intense electromagnetic storm, which can reaching “real” levels, which explains the appearance of these northern lights in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
The solar storm will last until this Friday. Nevertheless, and according to José Afonso, researcher and President of it Portuguese Astronomical Society, It is better to look up at the sky today because of the rainy weather tomorrow.
Although very rare, intense solar activity has made the appearance of aurora borealis in Portugal more frequent. The last one was seen on May 11 this year. At the beginning of last November, it was also possible to see the Northern Lights in Portugal. Before that, it had only happened in Portugal in the 1930s.
What defines it?
The source of the phenomenon is an intense electromagnetic storm.
The sun has a peak of activity every 11 years, which increases and decreases during the cycle. At this time, it is experiencing the highest level of activity, which will be reached this year, which causes several explosions to occur on its surface which, in turn, puts on a lot of stuff floated away. Along the way, they might discover Earth.
The different colors are related to the different gases in the atmosphere: green for oxygen, purple, blue or pink for nitrogen.
2024-10-10 21:01:00
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