Stargazers and night owls were once again rewarded Sunday night, as the aurora borealis – or northern lights – stretched far enough south to be visible in Colorado.
The northern lights are the result of solar particles colliding with the earth’s atmosphere. Electrons become energized and are drawn toward earth’s magnetic poles, where they transfer their energy back into the atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
That energy release comes in the form of light – similar to how a neon light works. The more severe the geomagnetic storm, the further the light stretches from the poles, according to the NOAA.
The light show stretched into the Colorado sky around midnight Sunday night.
As they typically are, our contingent of shutterbugs in the Discover Colorado | Through Your Photos Facebook group were there to capture the night-sky phenomenon.
Here are some of the photos shared in the group:
Near Echo Mountain, courtesy Andi Poland
From Pagosa Springs, courtesy Shelby Santille
From Pawnee Buttes, courtesy Damen Winslow
From Abbott Church on the eastern plains, courtesy Jonathan Nicholas
From Wray, courtesy Fernando Boza
From Jackson Lake State Park, courtesy Larry G. Smith
From Byers, courtesy Joan Carrillo
From Pawnee Grasslands, courtesy Mark Altmeyer
