- ^, ^6 o2 g7 h, E# }5.39.217.76Arctic Auroras7 P% d, d! e. @0 L
tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb5 H2 U/ q9 ^2 g1 X4 s
Northern lights dance over the Lyngan Alps in a picture taken Tuesday night near Tromsø, Norway. The brilliant auroras were triggered by a coronal mass ejection, or CME, that hit our planet Tuesday morning. A CME is a cloud of superheated gas and charged particles hurled off the sun.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。) D# x$ F0 W% l5 m8 \6 K8 w5 u
1 t8 i, M" R* _" ]/ Q5 p5.39.217.76On Monday, space-weather scientists reported that an especially strong solar flare had erupted from an active region on the sun, followed by the huge CME that came barreling toward our planet. The burst of activity triggered the strongest solar storm experienced since October 2003, according to experts at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. 8 w9 {- v' P1 p" ztvb now,tvbnow,bttvb ' x' }: c3 S5 W1 MWhen a CME hits Earth, the charged solar particles can interact with gases in our atmosphere to produce the northern and southern lights. Sky-watchers were put on alert for intense auroras Tuesday night through Wednesday morning. 7 I' O; I0 H8 S b. D( K1 B 5 |2 F0 \9 q5 y* s+ ?4 T7 z, ZTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。公仔箱論壇" w, q. X& K! c: p
5.39.217.76. e j) ^5 p/ @4 _
Aurora Storm # a- T, d8 O+ Q& X 9 t1 _9 J/ G, \$ D$ G公仔箱論壇Green auroras hang like storm clouds in the skies near Tromsø, Norway, on Wednesday.TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。. A# H+ [' n- n
5.39.217.761 d& y( H' C0 F; x9 y( Y/ ]5 K
This week's solar storm was strong enough to cause sporadic radio blackouts in high-latitude regions, spurring some airlines to reroute polar flights. Still, the storm is considered to be moderate and isn't expected to cause major disturbances to ground- or space-based equipment, experts said.1 E1 t. z4 s4 f3 s5 N
8 r( A* D. W% k) {& J' K 公仔箱論壇/ S2 U, x" K9 D7 E8 X7 z
! r. m3 C3 S5 B5 ^7 y0 } G9 _8 qA multicolored blade of light seems poised to strike over a snowy forest in Ivalo, Finland, on January 22. Late last week a NASA satellite witnessed a solar flare and CME from a different active region on the sun. That solar event triggered a round of auroras over the weekend, including the display captured above. * p3 z6 @; U+ D/ B% X& _& F6 P# [ n4 n
"At approximately 19:00 hrs the night sky over our Guest house was illuminated by the most spectacular display of Northern Lights, which lasted for several hours," photographer Andy Keen wrote on Spaceweather.com. , ?' y" F6 @" q6 f! h& G5.39.217.765 @7 n2 G* L& S7 R3 R
"The temperatures plummeted to a chilly -25 degrees Centigrade [-13 degrees Fahrenheit]—cold enough to make our lenses freeze and turn our camera bodies white." ; u; s% { G5 M/ R公仔箱論壇6 E9 h5 I9 J' R0 x" j 5.39.217.76$ D( m: r. R0 e( ~8 y
' s3 s+ t( V2 D0 V' K% p; u公仔箱論壇Aurora Trek5.39.217.767 {0 z; l& _# ~
tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb; g: J7 n8 b r( Q- m! l. f
A snowmobiler stops to admire the northern lights in Finnish Lapland on January 24. % _- ?3 t: u/ Q, q, {: t$ r U( F$ t ! @# R$ B% h6 }+ IImproved computer models and a fleet of sun-watching satellites are helping space-weather experts better predict when CMEs will strike Earth—which also allows for more precise aurora forecasts.; B) H* }8 ]4 x- F
; P4 W. V( ^& t: S2 Q- t0 A6 Btvb now,tvbnow,bttvb"We went out with snowmobiles to wait for the incoming storm," photographer Antti Pietikäinen wrote on Spaceweather.com. "Show started slowly, and after 15 minutes the landscape was green!"公仔箱論壇1 `1 [( g/ Z- @5 ^, m$ h5 V) @3 ^1 J
4 f# m! F) ?% H O. C8 \8 K5 M 1 D$ T0 H5 w* z) e A& rtvb now,tvbnow,bttvb % b( K' Z, c5 ?1 Y8 WTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Aurora on Ice7 _: b2 _% O3 x7 J, P
公仔箱論壇9 I1 y, G6 s0 G- U8 p' @- A& ]- r
Northern lights flow over the snow-dusted mountains near Tromsø, Norway, on January 21. The stitched panorama picture also shows the auroras reflected in smooth ice, which is "normally ... covered by snow in winter time," according to photographer Thilo Bubek. 3 b# e( S' z' [) \ + h7 d7 X# t9 q, } 3 @ I0 k1 {" \4 ?. N* vTVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。 4 g5 } F2 F {5 ^. t7 I# F, i5 [公仔箱論壇Ghostly Glow 0 B% S P2 M7 ~6 `$ f: S' d g 7 W8 }$ ^9 F( {- w" _$ s8 E# x+ w2 i5.39.217.76Curtains of auroras shimmer over the snow covered forests of Norilsk, Russia, on January 22.5.39.217.76' J5 E- D4 U. z r, O: J5 J/ y
3 d, T9 b9 a, k+ U$ vtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbAlthough auroras are most common closer to the Poles, strong geomagnetic storms can trigger the light shows in lower latitudes. (See aurora pictures: "Rare Northern Lights Seen in U.S. South.") & v$ z0 J) ^$ Q2 Q. O; M2 H R$ S4 J3 d# i4 u
For instance, during the biggest solar storm on record—the 1859 Carrington Event—northern lights were reported as far south as Cuba and Hawaii, while southern lights were seen as far north as Santiago, Chile.6 w1 [' c0 j6 S
, ~* c' I% s. y8 T+ i' S* Stvb now,tvbnow,bttvb1 ^, E: q' G( I: v
# A" }) x: K J/ M: J9 ` X. q5.39.217.76Green Lantern/ s8 a+ w. ?! N* @4 L$ Z
TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。4 A& l4 Z7 a, o; c% ~" R" Z
Bright green auroras light up the night sky in a picture taken near Tromsø, Norway, on January 21. e: {2 ^# T" U1 n! N3 \ z: o 9 \$ X i1 G0 ]/ w3 ^4 S: f( xThe colors of auroras depend on the types of gases in Earth's atmosphere being affected by a solar storm. In most cases, auroral lights come from oxygen being "excited"—given extra electrical energy—during the collisions of gas atoms with solar particles. The charged-up oxygen releases the extra energy as green light.# S P7 g" v5 F& }
! P6 f) R# S1 D/ c- q& F. r' J9 v) u: Gtvb now,tvbnow,bttvb # s, E! a0 X5 I+ P+ B/ w& z* I9 d" i- v9 ?$ D
Wings of Lights ; M/ H% `2 ~7 j8 `1 m6 gtvb now,tvbnow,bttvb% b9 U" ~& S6 P
Bright auroras seem to spread like wings over the mountains outside of Tromsø, Norway, on January 22.5.39.217.76% M: M. H8 y9 k- o
tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb! g) N& K' n8 B$ _/ Z
"This was amazing," photographer Bjørn Jørgensen wrote on Spaceweather.com. "It was a wonderful experience to see these stunning auroras."! z Q. X" F% l# E, o
, X9 e5 t* W6 h5.39.217.76% ~" t# E7 M( ?' c W1 u' y
( [0 s' @" N) B. Q% H8 JAbisko Auroras : J- e& {1 F! [0 W0 y8 c- T6 g公仔箱論壇 . V) ` Q4 Z B5 l$ [Participants in a photo expedition work to capture the northern lights in Sweden's Abisko National Park on January 24. * U; u: ]5 z1 dtvb now,tvbnow,bttvb ' ?$ ^2 m6 C6 m4 E% y5 O* `公仔箱論壇"The auroras began as we were eating dinner and continued into the very early hours of the morning," expedition leader Chad Blakley told Spaceweather.com. "Words can not describe the excitement we shared and the sights we saw." ! [8 `8 X: v0 B/ t9 W8 L5.39.217.76 $ E( o) m2 R% S" P' ]3 `! I公仔箱論壇公仔箱論壇7 Y5 h1 t. I* R
$ I$ e' d w' z( u- u1 Y5 F
Iceland Auroras5.39.217.76' ]" ^- U& v/ H' w" Y2 D
# R8 G5 I. M( G' f0 v( Qtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbGreen auroras flow over snow-covered gravestones on January 22 at Thingvellir, a historic site in southern . ?# W: [. W+ J! Z9 G N公仔箱論壇TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。7 ?) n# U* C p' U- }! k- f ! J& h$ y5 F& O8 U" K
2 {) l; \9 R# _4 m$ o
Seeing a Solar Flare公仔箱論壇) M& X( }0 b; W; q/ R* r9 C
, l( g. r5 R+ f, b5 B' V. z公仔箱論壇Image courtesy SDO/NASA ; b* o2 U4 Z. ~tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb 8 Z. j) I s9 Q g4 LA composite picture from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the January 19 solar flare erupting from the sun. The picture includes data from multiple wavelengths of ultraviolet light, to represent the different layers of the sun's turbulent atmosphere.5.39.217.765 D6 E" p8 D* D6 I( n% w& d
TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。% B4 `) U* V' H. w- s% g+ @ 9 `. ]* J/ R& g! d 5 R m' k& W# P6 {* T公仔箱論壇Aurora Ahoy & i6 `* C: k+ }TVBNOW 含有熱門話題,最新最快電視,軟體,遊戲,電影,動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb* g7 I% f$ G, z2 A! ~
A blanket of green hangs over the coast of Bø in northern Norway in a picture taken January 6.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb" k; B2 R# s; E
- w8 J6 Q( j, m* \# Q! O dtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbIn general, auroras have been ramping up over the past year as the sun has approached what's known as solar maximum, a period of more intense activity in our star's natural 11-year cycle.公仔箱論壇: u. a& S$ X5 M9 m- w; j
' E' @8 v8 \; T$ V& @Scientists predict the sun will reach solar max in 2013, and that we'll continue to see more frequent and intense flares, CMEs, and other eruptions that—when aimed at Earth—might not only supercharge auroras but could also carry risks for airplanes, satellites, and the power grid. ! S* X+ i5 q8 y公仔箱論壇公仔箱論壇8 R0 N" D4 l! s7 U
(Photos from National Geographic)