On Saturday night, one of the most impressive sky phenomena - the northern lights - could be seen from Lithuania. Photographer Gediminas Kačerauskas captured the most beautiful images of the northern lights in Kėdainiai district.
"That's how we got the Šaltibarščiai tfu... the northern lights," writes Gediminas Kačerauskas.
How are the Northern Lights formed?
The northern lights are a phenomenon that results from interactions with the Earth's atmosphere and the solar wind, a stream of charged particles, mainly protons and electrons, that are blown away from the Sun. Here's how it goes:
Solar wind: The sun is constantly sending electrically charged particles into space. These particles travel through the solar system, including Earth.
Magnetic field: When the solar wind reaches the Earth, its particles interact with the Earth's magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field lines point from the magnetic north pole towards the magnetic south pole.
Polar light zones: Solar wind particles are directed by the Earth's magnetic field towards the auroral zones, which are located around the Earth's magnetic poles.
Atmospheric particles: Solar wind particles vigorously collide with atmospheric gas molecules, including nitrogen and oxygen. This collision causes an increase in the energy of the atmospheric molecules.
Light emission: Energized atmospheric molecules later return to their original state, radiating energy in the form of light. This light creates the visible northern lights.
The northern lights are not a very common phenomenon in Lithuania, because Lithuania is quite far from the Arctic Circle, where the northern lights are the most common. However, during strong geomagnetic storms, when the solar wind is particularly active, the northern lights can also be observed in Lithuania.
