NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennesseans were treated to a spectacular show of the Northern Lights on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Have you ever wondered what causes them, and how we can see them this far south? News 2 spoke with a local astronomer to learn exactly that.
According to Billy Teets, Director of Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory, the light display is caused by electrons launched from the sun interacting with Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field.
TUESDAY PHOTOS | Aurora visible in parts of Middle Tennessee
He said different colors are caused by how the electrons interact with elements in the atmosphere. Teets explained that the reds and greens are caused by oxygen. He said it’s very similar to how electricity interacts with different gases in a neon lightbulb.
If you think the northern lights in Tennessee are happening more frequently in the last few years, you would be right. Teets said we have seen them three times in the last two years, and it’s caused by the sun’s natural cycle…