Strange colored rings in sky around the world

[Skyfarmr]

Exactly my thoughts too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8AIUiFRQzw

Well, the ring in this experiment is generated by a little spinning fan and may have no connection with the ring that was seen in the sky. The little bolt is actually the motor that drives the fan.

The place of the spinning fan/bolt could be taken simply by spinning birkeland currents.

Could what you are describing be related to the terrella experiments done by William Gilbert when trying to understand the aurora (birkeland currents)? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrella

William Gilbert's explanation was that the Earth itself was a giant magnet, and he demonstrated this by creating a scale model of the magnetic Earth, a "terrella", a sphere formed out of a lodestone.

Kristian Birkeland's magnetised terrella. In this experiment, he noted two spirals which he considered may be similar to that of spiral nebulae

Could the lodestone be a comet or the companion star reacting with the magnetosphere causing the "plasma thingies"? or am I missing the point of the rhetorical question? :/

A youtube video (partly in Spanish/partly in French) about a planeterrella simulation is here...neat to watch, but don't understand a word of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vweNL-Kgk

 

[Nienna]

This is not a ring, but a vortex or tornado type thing in the sky over Pennsylvania, reportedly. Another anomaly in the atmosphere?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPdoV1lc5LY

 

[SoCurious]

What I find of particular interest are the changing colours. It really is quite beautiful. But that's only what we can see. Is there more to it than just the ring?