Those who dream of one day seeing the Northern Lights no longer have to travel to the Arctic Circle. In the coming years you will also see this colorful light show in your garden. Why are the Northern Lights increasingly visible in the Netherlands and sometimes also in Belgium? The answer lies in the sun.
How are the Northern Lights created?
The sun continually launches electrically charged particles into space. This stream of particles, also called the solar wind, flies towards us at a speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour. But these particles do not fall like snowflakes on garden furniture. Before electrically charged particles from the sun reach Earth, they make their way through our atmosphere.
And this is where the magic of the Northern Lights happens. The solar wind collides with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere. The energy released during these collisions creates colorful flashes of light. Then the Northern Lights. Or the Southern Lights, because even at the South Pole the auroras dance regularly in the sky. Earth’s magnetic field causes the solar wind to bend toward both poles, creating the Northern Lights and Southern Lights.
When and where can you see the Northern Lights in the Netherlands?
You normally have to travel to the polar regions to see the Northern Lights. It’s still exciting, because the weather on Earth must be beautiful too. When it is very cloudy, the Northern Lights are difficult to see, even in Iceland or Scandinavia.
But there is good news for all Northern Lights hunters: in the coming years there will be much more chance of the Northern Lights passing over the Netherlands and also Belgium. Every eleven years the sun’s activity reaches its maximum, sending many more electrically charged particles flying into space.
Such a strong solar wind, also called a solar storm, increases the possibility that the Northern Lights will also be visible in the Netherlands. In principle, this can occur anywhere in the country, but the natural phenomenon is usually more visible in places with little light pollution. According to a NASA prediction, the next peak in solar activity will occur in 2024. So always keep your camera handy, because who knows, you might soon photograph the Northern Lights.
Willeke van Doorn studied journalism, traveled the world for a while and eventually ended up in the editorial offices of Quest, National Geographic and Runner’s World across the United States, Australia and New Zealand. She is curious about the world, she prefers to travel every month and always brings her running shoes with her.
2023-12-27 14:21:55
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