Starwatch for November 2024

Hello! I’m Karl Hricko of the United Astronomy Clubs of NJ and the National Space Society, bringing you the November Starwatch for WNTI – the sound of Centenary.

I saw waving curtains of colored light. At first I had no idea what was happening. Then I slowly realized that it was the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis – named after the Roman goddess of dawn by Galileo. There’s also the Southern Lights or the Aurora Australis, named after the North and South Winds of Greco-Roman mythology.

Auroras are caused by the solar wind sending electrified particles which may be trapped in the magnetic field of the Earth. Eventually they hit our atmosphere where they interact with molecules of air.  The colors are produced by the release of light photons having different levels of energy. Lower energy of red and green is given off by oxygen, while blue is emitted by nitrogen.

Some ancient cultures believed it was a good omen, some thought it was bad.  Others saw it as representing their ancestors, while others felt it was a bridge between the natural and supernatural worlds.  We now see it as a dazzling light show produced by a natural electrical phenomenon, which may also adversely affect our communication and power grid systems.

Auroras are also seen on Jupiter and Saturn, since they also have magnetic fields. Although we can’t see these with our naked eyes, we can   see both Jupiter and Saturn at dusk, if we look to the east in Aquarius. Turning west, the bright apparition of Venus is readily seen in Ophiuchus. To the southwest, tiny Mercury floats above the horizon in Scorpius. Red Mars rises late in the evening in Gemini.

So even though it’s a beautiful   sight, keep out of the solar wind unless you want to be an electrified glow in the night sky.

Until our next Starwatch –   Don’t forget to check out …   What’s up in the night sky!