Understanding Aurora Lights:

• Aurora lights are produced when high-energy particles from the Sun interact with the gases in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing them to emit light. The Earth's magnetic field directs these particles towards the polar regions, which is why Auroras are most commonly seen in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
• These lights are known as Aurora Borealis in the north and Aurora Australis in the south.

For an in-depth understanding, you may visit Aurora Borealis .

Why are Aurora lights reaching the midlatitudes?

• The Sun's activity is known to follow a cyclical pattern, with periods of high and low activity that span roughly 11 years.
• We are currently transitioning from a phase called the solar minimum , characterized by minimal sunspots, to a phase of heightened solar activity. This increased activity leads to a more intense and frequent display of Aurora lights.
• However, the primary cause for the current surge in Aurora lights is a phenomenon known as Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). CME involves the ejection of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona. CME can occur at any time, but the current CME is so potent that the Aurora lights are visible as far as England and beyond.

Additional Information:

• Sunspots are dark areas that appear on the Sun's surface from time to time. They are often precursors to solar flares, intense bursts of energy and particles from the Sun's surface.