Clear skies may let Danes glimpse aurora borealis Sunday night

Nordlysvarsel.dk warns that two solar storms heading toward Denmark may trigger an aurora borealis visible from the ground on Sunday night. The Danish Meteorological Institute expects clear, star-rich periods over Jutland and Funen, with possible fog after most people have gone to sleep. Benjamin Hewel, a science communicator at the Planetarium, says a smartphone can sometimes record the green colors better than the naked eye and recommends snapping photos of any grayish glow.

He explains that auroras arise when high-energy electrons and protons from the Sun interact with atmospheric gases, producing green light from oxygen and blue-purple tones from nitrogen. The particles travel from solar sunspots to Earth in a matter of hours to days, and if they reach the planet’s magnetic field favorably, the display may be visible at lower latitudes. DMI duty chief Jens Lindskjold adds that the night’s weather conditions enhance the likelihood of seeing the phenomenon.