Published on March 24, 2024, 4:02 p.m. / ©Julia Werhonig
Tonight the sky could burn and shine in bright colors: This phenomenon could be observed particularly in Styria and Carinthia. It’s definitely worth taking a look up.
by Elisa Auer
1 minute reading time (211 words)
Tonight, from Sunday to Monday, Austrians can witness a very special natural spectacle: Northern lights are said to make the sky shine red. These are also called the Northern Lights and are the result of strong solar storms hitting the earth. Especially in Carinthia and later in southern Styria the chances are good due to the weather conditions. Because it takes a cloudless sky for these lights to even become visible.
Storm rushes towards earth
“There was a radiation burst of the highest category on the sun in the early hours of Saturday morning and a very fast solar storm is currently approaching Earth,” reports GeoSphere Austria. According to current forecasts, the storm is expected to arrive on Earth around 6 p.m. this evening. A major disruption in the earth’s magnetic field is not expected – but the storm is expected to travel at rapid speeds (3 million kilometers per hour). This means that northern lights could be seen again in Central Europe.
Send us your photos
Can you capture the celestial spectacle with your camera? Then send us your pictures. Here we have a few impressions of the last solar storms for you that were visible in Carinthia and Styria.
frequently asked Questions
What are Northern Lights?
Auroras occur when electrically charged particles from the solar wind, mainly electrons but also protons, hit the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. There they stimulate the existing air molecules to glow.
Those: www.tessloff.com
What conditions are needed for the northern lights?
Not every solar storm causes the northern lights. He has to be strong enough. The weather conditions also have to cooperate so that the lights can be noticed at all. The Northern Lights are best seen on a cloudless night in fall, winter or spring.
How often can the northern lights be seen?
This is always different and depends on the strength of the solar cycle. There have been four events so far in 2023. The lights were particularly visible during a strong solar storm in April.
Are northern lights a worrying sign of climate change?
No. The Sun’s magnetic activity goes through an 11-year cycle. The sun only becomes a tiny bit brighter and shines a little more. The temperature increase is so small that it has no influence on global warming.