Greenland's sky is the stage of the amazing Aurora Borealis

A kind of crack in the earth's magnetic field caused the polar lights to show in the image above. The photo was taken on the night of February 27 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.

The optical phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, occurs due to the interaction between the terrestrial magnetosphere and the electrical particles coming from the sun - the famous solar wind. This interaction energizes the oxygen and nitrogen present in the ionosphere, resulting in the green and reddish lights visible in the polar regions of the planet.

Magnetic field slope

According to Tony Phillips of SpaceWeather.com, the interplanetary magnetic field tilted south, cracking the magnetosphere. This crack was enough to cause a small geomagnetic storm, resulting from the emission of particles from the sun after the eruptions last Friday, March 3.

At the moment we are in the middle of a busy solar cycle. These cycles usually last 11 years, and the peak of the latter is expected to occur in 2013. If storms become very intense, further problems with the communication satellites and the power grid may occur. What we cannot deny is that polar lights have been offering especially spectacular images this year.