science

Why Could the East Coast See the Northern Lights?

NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Marvin Gomez explains that a geomagnetic storm made the natural lightshow visible in the Philadelphia region

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

States throughout the country could see the Northern Lights this weekend, thanks to a natural phenomenon known as "auroras."

Though, NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Marvin Gomez said Monday "the geomagnetic storm that helped create the auroras is slowly ending."

"These storms are the result of the sun emitting a strong flow of electrified gas that travels at high speeds and eventually reaches our planet," explained Gomez.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also noted that the storm seemed to be winding down on Monday.

Gomez explained that the Earth has its own atmosphere that allows some heat and energy from the sun into the atmosphere.

But, he noted, "some gases and particles immitted from the sun, especially during a solar storm, do not enter our atmosphere and only brush the northern and southern end of our planet, as these gases and particles continue their journey through space past Earth and away from the sun."

The interaction of gasses and charged particles from the sun collide with particles in the Earth's atmosphere generating light in different colors that is well visible to the naked eye during the night, Gomez said.

Did you see the rare show in the sky?

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