Tuesday 28, February
On Tuesday, there were 767 new Covid-19 infections reported in Berlin. The seven-day incidence currently stands at 73.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Aurora Borealis? In this part of the country?
For the past two nights, the rare celestial phenomenon known as the northern lights was seen in Germany. In the early hours of the morning on Monday and Tuesday, colourful lights appeared in the night skies over much of northern Germany, especially visible in the darker areas of Brandenburg. Sadly, Berliners missed out for the most part, with the phenomenon hidden by high levels of light pollution.
Northern lights – also known as aurora borealis – are triggered by high levels of solar activity, when electrically charged particles enter the Earth’s upper atmosphere at a high speed. Usually only visible in the earth’s polar regions, their appearance in Germany suggests especially high solar activity, sometimes can be referred to as a solar storm. In many of the photos of this celestial event above Germany, the lights appear red – which usually signifies that the sun’s particles are reacting to oxygen at a higher elevation. Since Germany is relatively far away from the polar regions, it is generally only possible to see the activity in the upper atmosphere.
