Storm and landscape photographer Wesley Luginbuhl captured the Northern Lights from the small rural town of Vega, Texas. This is the third time this year he’s seen them in Texas.
Wesley LuginbuhlThe Northern Lights are mesmerizing shows of colorful lights dancing across the sky that have fascinated humanity for centuries, and usually occur near the Earth’s North Pole. But due to a powerful geomagnetic storm, this dazzling atmospheric phenomenon, also known as the aurora, was spotted as far south as the Texas Panhandle over the weekend. Lucky stargazers in Amarillo, Texas, reported witnessing a spectacular sight Friday evening.
Ether-like light is produced when charged particles are ejected from the Sun’s upper atmosphere in the form of the solar wind and collide with Earth’s magnetic field. According to Space.com. When the Earth’s magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles (there’s also some southern light), interaction with the atmosphere causes the emission of light. The colors produced are determined by the chemical composition of Earth’s atmosphere. For example, oxygen molecules emit green light and nitrogen molecules emit red light.
Corbin Voges, chief meteorologist for KVII-TV in Amarillo, captured a portion of the bright red sky Friday just before 8 p.m.
Corbin VogesThe strength of the sun’s energy hitting Earth’s atmosphere determines how far south the aurora can be seen. Corbin VogesThe chief meteorologist at KVII-TV in Amarillo captured a portion of the sky glowing red just before 8 p.m. Friday. “When I heard that red pillars could be seen tonight in Wichita, Kansas, I drove a few miles outside of Amarillo to see for myself,” Voges wrote. “Sure enough, [northern lights] It was visible on the camera on the northern horizon. ”
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Photographer Camille Davis captured the Northern Lights near Amarillo, Texas, on Friday.
Camille Davis PhotosPhotographer Camille Davis took this photo of a reddish sky filled with sparkling stars near Amarillo, Texas. “I thought it was a complete failure, but maybe I could have caught something when I got home.” Davis captioned the photo.
Storm and landscape photographer Wesley Luginbuhl also captured the celestial scene at 7:40 p.m. from the small rural town of Vega, Texas, just 30 minutes west of Amarillo. This is Luginbühl’s third time observing the aurora borealis in Texas this year; he previously photographed the natural phenomenon in March and April.
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“The column was strong a few minutes before this, but this is one of the best meteors I’ve ever photographed.” Luginbühl wrote on social media. I was also able to take a video of the pillars dancing. “A lot has been said about the Texas skies, but the dancing northern lights are definitely a new addition for 2023,” he wrote.