St. Lawrence Sees Aurora: Sightings of the Aurora Borealis Captures Attention

Over the past weekend and throughout this week the Aurora Borealis has been viewable across the North Country. While seeing the northern lights with the naked eye is unlikely, long exposure pictures can enhance the true colors of the aurora.  

The high levels of electrons needed to create auroras are the result of corona mass ejections, or solar flares, from the sun. Solar flares eject plasma from the sun, which travels a million miles per hour towards Earth. One such ejection is what caused the aurora to be visible on certain nights starting Friday, October 4 and ending Monday, October 7. 

“These particles are carried by solar wind to the earth, whose own magnetic field pushes the particles towards the poles,” said Cole Jacobson ’27. Auroras are caused by the electrons interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, where they collide with the upper atmosphere. This collision with atoms in the upper atmosphere is what produces the colors during an aurora. According to Jacobson, auroras are visible when they get close to the ground. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this is very similar to how neon lights produce different colors.  

Since St. Lawrence University is relatively south in terms of the aurora viewing, it can be difficult. The best times to see the aurora are between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am on nights when the aurora reaches far enough south. Additionally, it is important to look towards the northern horizon because the auroras are centered around the earth’s geomagnetic north pole. Light pollution can also diminish the ability to view the aurora so getting away from large light sources and going on moonless nights is essential.  

Even if you are unable to see the aurora with your naked eye you can see it on your phone. If you take a long exposure picture with your camera it gathers light over multiple seconds and puts it all together into one image. This results in a brighter image showing light that you’re not able to see with the naked eye.  

If you want to see an aurora you can check the projections put out by the NOAA on where the aurora borealis will be visible each night.