ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Did you see the northern lights (aurora borealis) in the night sky over the Rochester area on Sunday? Viewers shared photos of the sky lit up in hues of green and red.
As the director of RMSC explains, the northern lights are caused by the sun releasing charged particles that interact with Earth’s magnetic field. Those particles push toward the nearest pole and, when they interact with hydrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, we get a show.
The northern lights typically look better in photos than to the naked eye because cameras have a longer exposure. The easiest trick is making sure your phone camera is on “night mode.” There are even some smartphone apps specifically for taking photos of the northern lights…