Waves of green and purple lights, a starry sky, an exceptional show... The Northern Lights are one of the most enchanting meteorological phenomena. To be able to see them, you generally have to get close to the North and South poles, far from our French regions.
However, during the night of Sunday 26 to Monday 27 February, an astonishing phenomenon lit up the sky of metropolitan France. Aurora borealis were seen in the northern half of the country, and in the United Kingdom. An extremely rare event for us, which should happen again this Monday evening, February 27, from 9 pm, and until about midnight!
Do we have a chance to attend this show in Paris? It will be difficult... But not impossible. To be able to see these lights, it is necessary to move away from the other sources of light, and thus to leave the most populated corners of the capital. When you have found a dark place, turn to the North, and wait for the show to start. If you want to try the adventure, go to the different parks and gardens of Paris that allow us to admire the stars. Please note that this phenomenon can be of low intensity, and therefore hardly visible to the naked eye.
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But in fact, what exactly is an aurora borealis? This phenomenon is caused by the Sun: the latter erupts, projecting many particles and hot and magnetic gas. When these gases collide with the Earth - especially around the magnetic zones of the planet, at the poles - the sky lights up and the aurora borealis (or aurora australis, in the South) appears.
The most passionate among you can read the detailed explanations ofEric Lagadec, French astrophysicist, on Twitter. Happy hunting for the northern lights!
Last night, we lived an EXCEPTIONAL event! Aurora borealis in mainland France. It could happen again tonight. What is it due to?
- Eric Lagadec (@EricLagadec) February 27, 2023
Thread!👇 pic.twitter.com/1F38zKKQRO
Astronomy: the best places to see shooting stars in Paris and the Île-de-France region
