Watch the northern lights dance and shimmer in "silent storms"
Tuesday, June 10, 2014 - 07:31
in Astronomy & Space
Aurorae were once believed to be warring clans of spirit soldiers, the skyward ghosts of virgin women, or the glow of fires burning inside celestial caves. Today we know they're caused by ions in the atmosphere getting zapped by charged solar particles caught up in Earth's magnetic field. But the knowledge of what creates aurorae doesn't make their shimmering dance any less beautiful for those lucky enough to see them. I've personally never witnessed an aurora, but photographer Ole Salomonsen has—and he's created yet another gorgeous time-lapse of the northern lights over his native Scandinavia to share their beauty with the world.