Northern Lights Dance in Florida Sky, Courtesy of Taurid Meteor

Okay, here's an explanation of the Florida Northern Lights news for curious readers: "Wow, Northern Lights in Florida? That's not something you hear every day! But before you imagine shimmering green curtains like you see in Arctic photos, let's clarify what's happening here. The headline is a bit misleading. What was actually captured in Florida on November 11th was a "Northern Taurid" meteor. A meteor is a small piece of space rock or dust that burns up as it enters Earth's atmosphere, creating a bright streak of light we see as a shooting star. The "Northern Taurids" are part of an annual meteor shower. Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by a comet. In this case, the debris trail comes from Comet Encke. As Earth ploughs through this dusty path, more meteors than usual enter our atmosphere and create a spectacular display. The "Northern" part of the name simply tells us from which direction in the sky the meteors appear to originate, not that the actual Northern Lights are appearing. The real Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are caused by charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, primarily in the polar regions. While very strong solar activity can sometimes push the aurora further south, seeing them in Florida is extremely rare. So, while the picture captured a beautiful meteor from the Northern Taurid shower, it's not the same phenomenon as the usual, awe-inspiring Northern Lights!"