2022 Arctic aurora identified as rare polar rain aurora, visible due to low solar wind levels.
Scientists have identified a massive, smooth aurora observed in the Arctic skies in December 2022 as a rare polar rain aurora. This type of northern lights is caused by electrons from the Sun directly crashing into Earth's atmosphere, leading to an abnormally visible display. Polar rain auroras are usually invisible to the naked eye but were visible due to low solar wind levels, as reported in Science Advances.
June 21, 2024
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