"Totally Magical" Sky – New Chance Tonight

Social media is flooded with fairy-tale-like images of a sky shimmering in lilac, red, pink, blue, and gold. Reports are coming in from all over Sweden of yet another night with strong northern lights, as far south as Skåne. It was completely magical, says Maria Sundin, astrophysicist at the University of Gothenburg.

» Updated:

» Published:

"Totally Magical" Sky – New Chance Tonight
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Share this article

At the same time, the annual meteor shower Perseid is ongoing. Between August 11 and 13, significantly more shooting stars than usual can be seen across the country. The reason is that the Earth's atmosphere collides with a dust cloud from a comet.

Maja Wallering, 21, and Hugo Ziegler, 18, were looking for shooting stars on Monday evening, but they saw another celestial phenomenon.

The two got goosebumps when they saw the strong light in Söderköping, writes Expressen.

We had climbed up a hill because we had heard that there would be shooting stars tonight. There, we saw light pillars but thought it was just the light from the streetlights. Then we saw that it was green and pink, and realized it was the northern lights.

It was really cool, says Hugo Ziegler.

A cloudless night in large parts of the country meant very good conditions for seeing the meteor shower, reported several media outlets on Monday evening.

New chance tonight

If you missed the celestial phenomena, there are new opportunities in the coming nights.

It will decrease a bit, but there are relatively good chances to see the Perseid meteor shower in the coming nights, says astrophysicist Maria Sundin.

There may also be an opportunity to see the northern lights.

My tip is to keep an eye on apps or websites that update the chances of seeing the northern lights, it can change quickly, she says.

The weather in the coming nights will be crucial. According to SMHI, there will be good visibility in some parts of the country.

Middle and northern Norrland and southern Götaland have the best prospects for stargazing, says the on-duty meteorologist at SMHI.

Thicker clouds may roll in over northern Götaland, Svealand, and parts of southern Norrland.

You can get lucky and see something even between the clouds, says Maria Sundin.

"Perseid is like a clock"

The Perseid meteor shower and the northern lights have no connection, and it's quite rare for them to occur at the same time, according to Maria Sundin.

The Perseid meteor shower is like a clock and occurs on the same date every year, but it was lucky that there was also northern lights. Northern lights are rarer in the summer when it's light, she says.

In northern Sweden, northern lights are common, but the opportunity to see them with the naked eye in southern Sweden only comes now and then.

Solar storms are powerful energy outbursts on the sun. During the outbursts, charged particles are thrown out from the sun at high speed.

The outbursts are common, but rarely reach the Earth.

If the solar storm hits the Earth, there is a chance of northern lights – but also for example power outages and disruptions in air traffic and telecommunications.

Northern lights and southern lights – also called Aurora borealis and Aurora australis – are light phenomena that are most common in the Earth's polar regions.

The sun's activity varies in a cycle of about eleven years, where we are now in the most active period.

Source: MSB, Space Agency, and others.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Södermalm Explosion Deemed a Misfire by Police

Södermalm Explosion Deemed a Misfire by Police

Hackers Threaten to Release Personal Data After Miljödata Breach

Hackers Threaten to Release Personal Data After Miljödata Breach

Gotland Braces for Heavy Rain as SMHI Issues Yellow Warning

Gotland Braces for Heavy Rain as SMHI Issues Yellow Warning

Swedish Potato Farmers Face PFAS Dilemma Amid Consumer Demands

Swedish Potato Farmers Face PFAS Dilemma Amid Consumer Demands

Head-on Collision on E4 in Huskvarna Sends Five to Hospital

Head-on Collision on E4 in Huskvarna Sends Five to Hospital

Kristersson Criticizes Stegrud's Actions in Stockholm Incident

Kristersson Criticizes Stegrud's Actions in Stockholm Incident

Kristersson Invites Center Party to Join Growth Pact

Kristersson Invites Center Party to Join Growth Pact

Swedish Citizens Extradited from Dubai Arrested for Serious Crimes

Swedish Citizens Extradited from Dubai Arrested for Serious Crimes

SMHI Issues New Rain Warning for Flood-Hit Västernorrland

SMHI Issues New Rain Warning for Flood-Hit Västernorrland

Man Arrested for Murder of Elderly Man in Skurup

Man Arrested for Murder of Elderly Man in Skurup

Ebba Busch Calls for Stricter Measures Against Disruptive Demonstrators

Ebba Busch Calls for Stricter Measures Against Disruptive Demonstrators

Red-Green Coalition Uncertain Despite Opposition Lead in Polls

Red-Green Coalition Uncertain Despite Opposition Lead in Polls

Ebba Busch on Potential Exclusion of Liberals from Future Government

Ebba Busch on Potential Exclusion of Liberals from Future Government

Explosion Reported at Södermalm Apartment Building

Explosion Reported at Södermalm Apartment Building

Man Sentenced for Secretly Filming Under Skirts and Child Pornography

Man Sentenced for Secretly Filming Under Skirts and Child Pornography

Why Hailstorms Are Increasing: Insights from Chinese Researchers

Why Hailstorms Are Increasing: Insights from Chinese Researchers

Moderate Party Proposes Plan to Reduce Healthcare Waiting Times

Moderate Party Proposes Plan to Reduce Healthcare Waiting Times

Woman Hospitalized After Assault in Malmö; Suspect Arrested

Woman Hospitalized After Assault in Malmö; Suspect Arrested

National Road 90 Reopens After Landslide in Västernorrland

National Road 90 Reopens After Landslide in Västernorrland

Study Finds Electric Bicycles Riskier Than Electric Scooters

Study Finds Electric Bicycles Riskier Than Electric Scooters