Her’e sone thing you likely didn’t know about living in DC Ranch or Grayhawk, did you know the Aurora Borealis can actually be seen from the Sonoran Desert?
The Aurora Borealis is a spectacular light display that radiates across the sky in magnificent bright colors of green, blue, pink and red. It occurs during massive solar flares, combined with elements in the Earth’s atmosphere. Traveling at one-million miles per hour, it takes about 40 hours for the solar winds to reach visibility to the naked eye on Earth. It’s named after the Roman goddess of dawn,Aurora and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas.
Some people believe you can only see the auroras in far off places to the north like Alaska or even Canada. Surprisingly, the northern lights have appeared in the Arizona desert, as recently as this week. A few days ago, slow explosions were recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. For those of us who live in the desert, we may be able to catch sight of the awe-inspiring colors shimmer across the night sky. Scientists say there’s a real possibility that those of us who live in Phoenix or Scottsdale, will be able to see the vivid colors blazing across the heavens over the next few nights. If you live in DC Ranch or Grayhawk, you may have already seen brilliant red or green
streaking across the night.
Winter is considered the best and most common time to see the auroras. In fact, on January 30th, 2012, the Aurora Borealis officially dazzled the desert sky.
Strangely enough, recent studies have shown the auroras to have sound. Researchers at Finland’s Aalto University say the northern lights do make sounds or noises once it hits ground. They claim the sound is similar to clapping or banging on a pipe.
