by InTrieste
After days of miserable weather, sky watchers in parts of Friuli Venezia Giulia were rewarded with a beautiful spectacle in the early evening on 10 May as the skies were lit up by the northern lights.
Sightings of the aurora borealis were reported mainly from the northern and eastern parts of the region, as well as from the neighboring Slovenia.
People took to social media to post their pictures, sharing them with the media, marveling at a phenomenon that is known as the Holy Grail of sky watching.
The aurora borealis occurs when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 72 million kilometres an hour.
The moment they hit the atmosphere, it is possible to see them as a dazzling display in the sky. The colors depend on the elements present in the atmosphere – for example, red is caused by nitrogen and green by oxygen.
The atmospheric phenomenon is a very common in places near the south and north poles, but when the Sun is more active, most often in autumn and spring, it can also be observed elsewhere.
Experts say Friuli Venezia Giulia sky watchers will have a chance to see the aurora borealis in the coming days as well.
