Those awake last night and Thursday night may have noticed the bright colors in the night time sky as the Aurora Borealis made another appearance. But why is it that we’re seeing them so often?
According to NOAA, the northern lights are caused by the sun’s solar winds and other activity interacting with the the Earth’s magnetic field. This also means that higher sun activity means a greater chance to see the lights, even further away from the poles of the planet.
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This year, the sun is in what’s called a “solar maximum”, the peak of an 11-year cycle of activity.
While we don’t have an exact idea on when or if it might be possible, you could get another chance to see the northern lights before the year is over.
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