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Oct 19, 2023 · The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in the world. They occur when charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere and create a light show in the sky. The different colors of the aurora are caused by different gases in the atmosphere, and the unique shape of the aurora is ...
- Venkatesh Vaidyanathan
- 3 min
- What Causes The Aurora Borealis Or 'Northern Lights'?
- What Causes The Different Colours in The Aurora?
- Is The Aurora Borealis Visible in The UK?
- Do Other Planets Have Aurorae?
- What Are Solar Flares and How Do They Affect The Aurora?
- What Are Geomagnetic Storms?
The lights we see in the night sky are in actual fact caused by activity on the surface of the Sun. Solar storms on our star's surface give out huge clouds of electrically charged particles. These particles can travel millions of miles, and some may eventually collide with the Earth. Most of these particles are deflected away, but some become captu...
Different gases give off different colours when they are heated. The same process is also taking place in the aurora. The two primary gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, and these elements give off different colours during an aurora display. The green we see in the aurora is characteristic of oxygen, while hints of purple, blue...
The aurora borealis can be seen in the northern hemisphere, while the aurora australis is found in the southern hemisphere. While the best places to see the aurora are concentrated around the polar regions, the aurora borealis can sometimes be seen in the UK. The further north you are the more likely you are to see the display, but in the past the ...
Any planet with an atmosphere and magnetic field is likely to have aurorae. Scientists have captured incredible imagesof aurorae on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Aurorae on Mars have also been seen, but as the 'red planet' does not have a global magnetic field, aurorae behave differently and appear to be far more widespread.
The aurora is a very dramatic example of the ways in which solar activity affects the Earth. Solar flares are like enormous explosions on the surface of the Sun in which streams of charged particles are emitted into space. It typically takes two days after the flare is seen on the Sun for the particles to reach Earth. Upon their arrival, these part...
Intense aurora displays are generated following massive explosions on the Sun known as 'coronal mass ejections'. These explosions release clouds of hot plasma containing billions of tons of material travelling at around two million miles per hour. When the clouds reach the Earth, they interact with the Earth's magnetic field to cause events called ...
Mar 30, 2017 · Although auroral lights appear most frequently in the night sky near the poles—the aurora borealis to the north and the aurora australis to the south—space weather happens on a much larger scale. Solar matter can be flung from our sun’s atmosphere through the space between the planets and can reach the remotest edges of our solar system.
Oct 11, 2024 · There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple. These green bands of light in the winter sky above Alaska are an aurora borealis. This is the name for an aurora in the Northern Hemisphere. Credit: Sarah Histand.
Jul 23, 2024 · The northern lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), but our planet's magnetic field ...
- Stefanie Waldek
Aug 17, 2024 · The Aurora Borealis, captured on November 4 from central Alberta. (Team Tanner) The Northern Lights and Southern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis, are the result of ...
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Why are auroras so beautiful?
Why do we see auroras at night?
Why are the northern lights so beautiful?
Why are auroras wavy?
What do auroras tell us about Earth's upper atmosphere?
Are Auroras just a thing that happens on Earth?
This is what causes the different shapes and colours of the aurora. Bands, rays and arcs of green and purple. This is what causes the different shapes and colours of the aurora. The shifting face of Earth’s cosmic light show is miraculous to see. Melanie Windridge explains the science behind the aurora.
