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Photos: South Okanagan treated to spectacular Northern Lights show

The green aurora danced in the night sky around 10:45 p.m.

The South Okanagan was treated to a spectacular show of the Northern Lights Sunday night.

Around 10:40 p.m., the Northern Lights appeared in the sky and could be seen as far as Osoyoos and throughout Penticton.

The light show travelled north and could be seen towards Naramata and Summerland.

Debra Ceravolo, near Osoyoos captured not only the Northern Lights but the Big and Little Dipper.

“Brilliant reds, pinks and pulsing activity that lasted over 3 hours,” said Ceravolo. “I took continuous photos to make a time-lapse movie but need time and sleep before I can create that. This is a three-second exposure with a Canon R6 and 14mm Sigma lens. F/2, ISO 3200. The Big Dipper and Little Dipper are the bright stars front and centre.”

If you missed the show, you still might get a chance tonight or Tuesday night.

To check on the Aurora Borealis forecast for your region, visit auroraforecast.com.

WHAT ARE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

According to the Northern Lights Centre, the bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as ‘Aurora Borealis’ in the north and ‘Aurora australis’ in the south.

The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding.

READ MORE: Northern Lights seen across Okanagan

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To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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