On Thursday, October 11, 2024, many Point Pleasant residents gathered at the beaches to catch a rare glimpse at the colorful sky. The northern lights were visible and the sky was painted pink and purple. 

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are not often visible in New Jersey. They can only be seen during times of strong solar activity, during dark, cold months, which only occurs every few years. Since the aurora borealis is not a commonly occurring phenomenon in New Jersey, it was a huge deal in our town. 

Although they are pleasing, the aurora borealis is caused by a harsh event called a coronal mass ejection. Particles from the sun are emitted into Earth’s upper atmosphere at an insanely high speed. Earth’s magnetic field redirects the light particles toward the north and south poles, protecting us while also creating the northern lights.

The particles react to the chemicals in our atmosphere causing the sky to be lit up with shades of red, blue, pink, and green. Every different chemical in the upper atmosphere creates a different color. 

The director of the Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University, Billy Teets, explains more specifically how the colors are created. An article from Space.com records Teet explaining, “Colors seen in aurorae are red, a hue produced by the nitrogen molecules, and green, which is produced by oxygen molecules.”

Since outer space is so unpredictable, it is not known when the aurora borealis will be visible in New Jersey again.