Rare celestial event: Northern lights and Perseid meteor shower illuminate Western Pennsylvania skies

NEW DELHI: Both the

northern lights

and the Perseids

meteor shower

were visible simultaneously in a rare occurrence in the skies over

Western Pennsylvania

on Monday morning, said

National Weather Service Pitssburgh

in a post on X.

The northern lights were observed in several areas, including Washington County, early Monday morning.
In the viral images, the colorful skies are visible from Woodburn Road in

Claysville

.

Photos shared by

NWS Pittsburgh

show the auroras and the Perseids meteor shower appearing together in the sky over

Butler

, PA.
Northern lights, an optical phenomenon
The Northern lights are an optical phenomenon, created by the interaction between solar winds and magnetic fields in the upper atmosphere.
What is Perseid meteor shower?
The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year when Earth crosses through the debris left by

Comet Swift-Tuttle

. This debris, composed of ice and rock, produces the meteor shower, which reaches its peak as Earth passes through the densest portion between August 11 and 12.