| MadSci Network: Astronomy |
According to the information at http://www.spaceweather.com "A powerful solar explosion on Nov. 4th sparked an X-class solar flare and hurled a birght coronal mass ejection toward Earth. The expanding cloud will probably tirgger strong geomagnetic activity when it sweeps past our planet on Nov. 6th or 7th. sky watchers, even those living a middle latitutes, should be alert for auroras during the nights ahead." In other words, you saw the aurora borealis, or northern lights. We are experiencing a solar maximum this year, which means there are many sun spots and solar flares. When the gases are ejected from the sun, some may sweep past the Earth. The gas atoms become ionized by solar radiation and many become trapped in the Earth's magnetic field. The ionized particles trap other electrons, giving off photons of light in the process. Because the magnetic fields of the earth bend down around the north and south poles, there can be "curtains of light" in the circumpolar areas. This is what produced the lights you describe. You can get more information by doing a web search on keywords: aurora borealis cause. I hope this helps.
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