Streetlights Go Out in Iceland to Let the Northern Lights Shine Bright

Streetlights across much of Iceland’s capital were switched off Wednesday night so its citizens could make the most of the otherworldly glow of the aurora borealis dancing in the sky above them — without the usual interference from light pollution. Lights in central Reykjavik and several outlying districts went out for about an hour at 10 p.m. local time, and residents were encouraged to turn off lights at home, the Iceland Monitor reported. While those in Iceland can expect to see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, at any time from September to May, high solar-particle activity combined with clear skies on Wednesday created unusually perfect conditions. The northern lights are produced when charged particles from the sun hit the earth’s atmosphere at the magnetic North and South Poles. The charges particles interact with the atmosphere, which can be seen as illuminating swathes of light. Many people posted breathtaking images to social media. オーロラ A photo posted by hoshi (@xingqiaoyan) on Sep 28, 2016 at 3:52pm PDT @DSunsets @TheBestSunsets @weather_EU @WeerEnWind @weerwijchen @wx @WX_RT @gjfotos @WeatherNation the ongoing aurora feast by HP Helgason pic.twitter.com/nrQ7YIBnzp — John Steuten (@SteutenJohn) September 28, 2016 Crazy shit #auroraborealis #northernlights #hallgrimskirkja A photo posted by Freyja Melsted (@freytschi) on Sep 28, 2016 at 4:23pm PDT Northern lig...
Source: TIME: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Iceland light pollution Northern Lights Reykjavik weather Source Type: news