In the ionosphere, the ions of the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen from the Earth’s atmosphere. The energy released during these collisions causes a colorful glowing halo around the poles—an aurora.
What is the aurora?
An aurora is a colorful light show in the sky caused by the Sun. Auroras happen when particles from the Sun interact with gases in our atmosphere, causing beautiful displays of light in the sky. Auroras are often seen in areas near the North Pole or South Pole.
What produces an Aurora?
The short answer to how the aurora happens is that energetic electrically charged particles (mostly electrons) accelerate along the magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas atoms, causing the atoms to give off light.
How many auroras are there?
Depending on how you count, there are as many as 27 Auroras in existence today. They are found on both coasts and from Minnesota to Texas, but tend to favor the North for reasons I discovered as I traveled.
Why are auroras only visible at night?
Even though auroras are best seen at night, they are actually caused by the Sun. The Sun sends us more than heat and light; it sends lots of other energy and small particles our way. The protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles, and we don’t even notice them.
What causes the colors of the aurora?
The unique colors of light produced by a gas are called its “spectrum”. The auroral lights’ colors are determined by the spectra of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, and the height at which the most collisions take place. Incoming particles tend to collide with different gases at different heights.
Where can auroras be found?
So the best places to see auroras are near the magnetic poles. These include areas of northern Greenland, the Scandinavian coast, Siberia (brrr!), and Alaska in the north, and Antarctica in the south.
Can you see aurora from a plane?
Seeing the Northern Lights from a plane
Seeing the Northern Lights from thousands of feet in the air is a unique experience because the lights appear brighter from the sky than from the ground. It is also easier to see the subtle dancing movements that the lights make.
Which states have an aurora?
| Aurora, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| State | Colorado |
| Counties | Arapahoe County Adams County Douglas County |
| Platted | 1891 as Fletcher, Colorado |
| Incorporated (town) | 1903-05-05, as the Town of Fletcher |
How often do auroras occur?
“Active periods are typically about 30 minutes long and occur every two hours, if the activity is high. The aurora is a sporadic phenomenon, occurring randomly for short periods or perhaps not at all.”
Can you see northern lights with naked eyes?
Can you see the Northern Lights with the naked eye? Yes. If the Northern Lights are strong enough you can see them with your naked eye. However, most photographs of the Northern Lights are taken with special camera setups, and at least a long shutter speed.
Which planet has no aurora borealis?
Auroras have been photographed on Jupiter, Saturn, and even on some planets’ moons. Our moon doesn’t have an aurora because it doesn’t have the requisite atmosphere. It is likely that the same phenomenon occurs on planets in other planetary systems.
Why is the aurora only at the poles?
Of the two poles, the aurora can be seen the strongest near the arctic circle in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason that the Aurora can only be seen at the poles has to do with how the Earth’s magnetic field acts. The Earth has a metal core and acts much like a bar magnet with two poles and a magnetic field.
Can we predict auroras?
It is difficult to predict the Northern Lights over the long term. Coronal mass ejections, which cause most of the solar storms and, therefore, stronger Auroras, are forecast 15 days in advance, but their strength and shape can vary once they get closer to Earth.
What is the rarest color of the Northern Lights?
red
The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles.
What is the most common color for auroras?
green
The majority of auroral displays are predominantly green for two reasons, the first of which is that the human eye detects green more readily than other colours. This is why photographic images of the Northern Lights will often show colours that were not visible at the time to the naked eye.
Are there different types of auroras?
Researchers these days recognise that there are really only two main forms of aurora: the arc (discrete), and the patchy, pulsating aurora (diffuse). These are created by fundamentally different physical processes.
Where is the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights?
1. Tromso, Norway. Based in the heart of the aurora zone in the Norwegian Arctic, the city is widely regarded as one of the world’s best places to see the Northern Lights.
Who was the goddess aurora?
Aurōra (Latin: [au̯ˈroːra]) is the Latin word for dawn, and the goddess of dawn in Roman mythology and Latin poetry. Like Greek Eos and Rigvedic Ushas, Aurōra continues the name of an earlier Indo-European dawn goddess, Hausos.
Where in the US can you see the Northern Lights?
Hands down, Alaska is the best place to see the northern lights in the United States, thanks to its geographic location and dark skies. Ground zero for celestial wonders: Fairbanks, which is located right under the aurora oval.
Do pilots see the Northern Lights?
Very often, pilots will warn the cabin crew when they see the Northern Lights, so they can draw it to the passengers’ attention.