Look up at the sky! Its a bird, its a plane… but it isn’t Superman. It’s a natural phenomenon that lights up the sky!. Read on to learn more about these wonders of the sky.
Polar Night
Have you experienced a night of darkness that extends more than 24 hour? This spectacular natural phenomenon happens only inside the polar circle and it is called the Polar night. Since the Earth’s axis is tilted 26 degrees, certain regions of the Arctic and Antarctic Circle experience a once-a-yearof more than 24-hour of total darkness. An added treat… Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is best seen during Polar nights!
Sun dog
A Sundog or mock sun, is another natural optical phenomenon, occuring when bright light resembling halo appears on either the sun’s right or left side. Sun dog which may appear at any given season, and in any part of the world, is best appreciated when the sun is low in the horizon. This natural atmospheric phenomenon is formed during cold weather, when ice crystal crosses in high cirrus clouds. Sundog takes a reddish hue nearest to the sun’s edge and getting orange to blue in color further out.
Aurora Borealis
An aurora borealis (or the northern lights), is a spectacular luminous arches of light occurring in polar sky. Aurora borealis is formed when highly-charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules present in the Earth’s higher atmosphere. Some of the energy are then transformed into luminous lights. Aurora borealis range in color, shapes and structures. Visible during clear nights, this spectacular natural atmospheric phenomenon occurs often during winter in places like Canada and Alaska.
Moonbow
A moonbow or a lunar rainbow, is another spectacular but rare phenomenon to watch. It is a rainbow produced when a minimal amount of light is reflected off the moon’s surface. Moonbow is an elusive light display to catch, since its color (white) is too faint for the naked eye to see. For you to see one, factors should be take into considerations like; the moon must be in its shiniest, the presence of water vapor in the atmosphere, a dark sky, and the moon is low in the horizon. Moonbow can only be seen regularly in a few places on earth that include: Yosemite Falls in California, Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, Waimea on Hawaii. and Victoria Falls in Africa.
Midnight sun
The opposite of polar nights during winter north of the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun occurs during summer months where there is a continuous 24-hours of sunlight. This natural phenomenon is due to the Earth’s 23°26′ inclination and as a result both the South and North poles are tilted toward the Sun for a period of six months. Midnight sun is best seen inplaces in the polar region such as; Alaska, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Northern Sweden, Northern Iceland and some parts of Canada.
Read full article: 10 Spectacular Natural Atmospheric Phenomena
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