(Patrick J. Endres/Getty Images) (Patrick J. Endres/Getty Images)

'Holy Grail' of Northern Lights just turned the sky blood red as far south as France

On September 24, a strong storm of solar plasma struck Earth's magnetic field and set the night sky on 'fire'.

Across the northern hemisphere, from Europe to North America, those with clear skies were able to witness a spectacular red light show, described by at least one skywatcher as the 'Holy Grail of Northern Lights'.

Red auroras are rare enough as it is, but to see them as far south as France and Kansas with the naked eye is quite remarkable.

Centuries ago, some people in these lower latitudes thought the scarlet skies were a sinister sign of future war or tragedy.

Today, scientists know that auroras, both green and red, are a natural occurrence that cause no real harm to humans, although that doesn't make them any less awe-inspiring.

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By Carly Cassella / Science Alert Journalist

Carly Cassella is a Journalist at ScienceAlert. A science reporter with a background in neuroscience, she’s especially comfortable writing about health and medicine, but also loves covering nature, space, and the environment.

Carly cut her journalistic teeth at Farrago magazine whilst studying as an undergraduate at the University of Melbourne. Here, she received the nickname “Nat Geo”, and also the Fitzpatrick Award for Science Communication.

Previously, she worked at the International Federation of Journalists in Brussels, where she gained the utmost respect for war correspondents. Since then, she has worked in award-winning podcast production, taught a class on science writing at the 2018 March for Science conference, and written multiple YouTube scripts with millions of views.

Carly currently lives in Seattle, where she enjoys clamming, oystering, fern-ing and pretending she knows how to identify birds and stars.

Twitter: @carlycassella

(Source: sciencealert.com; September 27, 2023; https://tinyurl.com/2xp4vs6s)
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