PINK AURORAS OVER YELLOWKNIFE: On Sept. 14th, a gust of solar wind hit Earth's magnetic field. As the onrushing wind accelerated to 600+ km/s second, a bright band of pink auroras appeared over Yellowknife Canada. Martin Male photographed the display:
"It was outstanding," says Male. "The pink color was striking!"
Pink is a sign of nitrogen. Most auroras are green--a verdant glow caused by energetic particles from space hitting oxygen atoms 100 km to 300 km above Earth's surface. Pink appears when energetic particles descend lower than usual, striking nitrogen molecules at the 100 km level and below.
www.spaceweather.com for September 16, 2018