A tour group led by Markus Varik, a guide from the Greenland company, was fortunate enough to see the stunning light show on November 3. The bright aurora borealis appeared near Tromsø in Norway at around 6 pm local time and lasted only two minutes.

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At the same time, scientists discovered a small gap in the Earth’s magnetic field. It allowed high-energy solar particles to penetrate the atmosphere deeper than usual, resulting in unusually colored lights.

These were the strongest pink auroras I’ve seen in over a decade.
– said Marcus Varik.

Pink aurora / Photo: Markus Varik/Greenlander

According to Varick, even the normal green aurora was stronger that night.

Aurora Borealis / Photo: Markus Varik/Greenlander

What is the aurora borealis and how is it formed?

• Auroras are formed when streams of high-energy charged particles pass the solar wind around the magnetosphere.
• The planet’s magnetic field shields us from cosmic radiation, but the shield is weaker at the North and South Poles, allowing the solar wind to enter the atmosphere – usually 100 to 300 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
• Sun particles heat up the gases as they pass through the atmosphere, and these gases then shine brightly in the night sky.
• Auroras are often green because oxygen atoms, which are normally abundant in the part of the atmosphere that the solar wind reaches, emit this shade when they interact.

During a last solar storm A crack in the Earth’s magnetosphere has allowed the solar wind to penetrate below 100 kilometers, where the most abundant gas is nitrogen.. As a result, the auroras radiated a neon pink glow.

Pink aurora / Photo: Markus Varik/Greenlander

The hole in the magnetosphere closed after about 6 hours.

Currently, our Sun is heading towards peak activity expected in 2025. More frequent and stronger magnetic storms and even more aurora await us in the near future.