What are the Northern Lights Caused by?

The Northern Lights, or auroras, happen when particles from the sun meet the Earth's magnetic field. During events like solar storms, the sun releases charged particles, some of which head our way. As they get close to Earth, they're pulled towards the magnetic poles. When these particles crash into gases in our atmosphere, like oxygen and nitrogen, they light up, making the amazing displays we see as the Northern Lights in the North (aurora borealis) and the Southern Lights in the South (aurora australis).

What Does It Mean by Solar Storm? Or Solar Flare?

A solar storm is like a big disturbance on the Sun's surface that sends out a bunch of energy and particles into space. Sometimes, this can happen when there's a lot of magnetic activity on the Sun. Now, a solar flare is like a sudden burst of strong radiation from the Sun, kind of like a big flash. It happens around areas on the Sun where there's a lot of magnetic activity. Sometimes, these flares can shoot out clouds of charged particles, and if those particles head towards Earth, they can cause what we call a geomagnetic storm, which can mess with things like satellites and power grids.

Why I Can't See Aurora Lights with My Eyes?

Even though auroras are beautiful and bright, they can be faint and spread out across the sky, making them difficult to see with the naked eye, especially if you're not in a very dark area. Sometimes, they're not as vivid as in photographs because our eyes can't pick up all the colors and details that a camera can. Also, the human eye is not as sensitive to faint light as a camera lens, especially in low-light conditions. So, even if there's a faint aurora, it might not be visible to the naked eye unless it's particularly strong or you're in a very dark location away from city lights. That's why it's often recommended to use a camera to capture the auroras, as they can pick up more detail and color than our eyes can.

How to Add Aurora to Photo?

If you want to add aurora or northern lights to any photo, then you can try a northern light filter app. Take YouCam Perfect for example, you can add different northern lights filters to your existing pictures. There are currently 8 AI northern lights you can choose from. Just upload the picture you want to edit, and use the "Sky" feature to add aurora to it.

Northern Lights Filter: How to Add Northern Lights to Photo