Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets

Northern Lights In Rare Spots This Week – This Is Why

Thursday, May 16, 2019, By Daryl Lovell
Share
College of Arts and SciencesPhysics

Those looking up at the sky in northern U.S. states and most of Canada may catch a glimpse of the northern lights this week.

Sam Sampere is a physics lab manager at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Below, he breaks down some of the science behind aurora borealis and talks about the best places to catch a view.

Sampere says:

“Earth is one of the few planets surrounded by a magnetic field and has an atmosphere. You need the two things to create the northern lights, which we have here on Earth.

“In order to create northern or southern lights, you need a source of charged particles, and that source is the sun. The sun is always spewing out particles. The number that the sun spews out is not all that great, but sometimes the sun has little explosions and those charged particles are aimed directly at the Earth. That’s what happened a few days ago.

“Charged particles don’t go straight, they bend around and they curve. At the poles of the Earth, the magnetic fields are the strongest. It’s actually the strongest at the North Pole. You’ll see the greatest number of particles at the North and South Poles because the magnetic fields are the strongest at those locations.

“If you want to see the lights this week, look northwards, and stand in a dark location. City lights might obscure this, so go out in the country and find some dark skies.”

 

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

T 315.443.1184   M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu

Syracuse University

  • Author

Daryl Lovell

  • Recent
  • The Milton Legacy: Romance, Success and Giving Back
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Eileen Korey
  • Five Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Daryl Lovell
  • Newhouse Professor Robert Thompson Featured on ‘NBC Nightly News’ for Pop Culture Lecture Series
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • Newhouse Creative Advertising Students Win Big at Sports and Entertainment Clios
    Friday, May 30, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By Cristina Hatem

More In Media Tip Sheets

Five Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The smoke from more than 100 Canadian wildfires is reaching many regions within the U.S., including as far south as Georgia. Air quality is deteriorating in the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast, prompting health advisories in many…

Expert Available to Discuss DOD Acceptance of Qatari Jet

If you’re a reporter covering the U.S. Department of Defense’s acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar, Alex Wagner, adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is available for interviews. Please see his comments below….

Historian Offers Insight on Papal Transition and Legacy

As the Roman Catholic Church begins a new chapter under Pope Leo XIV, historians and scholars are helping the public interpret the significance of this moment. Among them is Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history in the Maxwell School of…

From Policy to Practice: How AI is Shaping the Future of Education

President Trump recently signed an executive order focusing on educational opportunities surrounding artificial intelligence. Among other things, it establishes a task force to promote AI-related education and tools in the classroom. That is a major area of focus for Dr….

V-E Day: The End of WWII in Europe, 80 Years Later

This week marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, when Nazi Germany formally surrendered to Allied forces on May 8, 1945, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. While it signaled the collapse of Hitler’s…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.