Aurora Borealis
If you were lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in the late evening on Friday 10 May, it was a spectacle to behold. At Q School, which backs on to St Michael's Church, we found a very special view of the Earth and Heavens.
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are created when charged particles from the sun collide with atoms in Earth's atmosphere. These collisions occur primarily around the magnetic poles, energised by the Earth's magnetic field. As the particles excite the atmospheric atoms, they release light, creating the vibrant displays we see in the sky. On Friday, an unusually large number of charged particles, released during a coronal mass ejection, made it possible to observe the aurora at locations much farther from the poles than usual.
Steve Leslie
Q School Housemaster and Head of Geography
