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Jan 24, 2024

The northern lights in 2024 are set to be the best in 20 years

Posted by in category: particle physics

It’s all thanks to what is called the “solar maximum,” when the sun is reaching its peak of a roughly 11-year cycle, which NASA says began again in December 2019. The sun’s activity has been ramping up since then, with an expected peak in July 2025.

MORE: Pilot performs mid-flight maneuver to give passengers a rare view of the northern lights

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, happen in regions around the earth’s magnetic pole. They appear when electrons from solar flares interact with atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. That in turn creates lights and multiple colors in the sky.

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