Nature
PUBLISHED
Iceland is a popular hotspot for skygazers hoping to see the aurora borealis. However, even this sparsely populated island has its night skies drowned out by light pollution hanging over the cities.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Luckily for the residents of the capital Reykjavík, large portions of the city turned off their street lights to give them a chance to see the northern lights in all its glory.
The aurora borealis, better known as the northern lights, is caused by interactions between the magnetosphere of Earth and incoming solar wind. Particles in Earth’s atmosphere become excited and release their energy in a vibrant display of green, yellow, purple, and pink light. Just like viewing stars or meteors, it’s best viewed far away from the dull hum of city lights.
So, to claim back the sky, the streets turned pitch-black in the western part of Reykjavík and the downtown area between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday night, Iceland Review reports.
As you can see, the results didn’t disappoint, although apparently some house lights didn't play ball.
