Aurora Borealis Or Northern Lights Explained A Taste Of Solar Maximum

Описание: What is the aurora borealis & the Northern Lights? The aurora borealis (the Northern Lights) is much more than pretty lights–it’s a perfect blend of solar wind and magnetic fields.
The Earth has a magnetic field surrounding it because of the iron-nickel core at the center of our planet. Understanding this magnet field is essential to understanding the science behind the aurora borealis. The magnetic field exiting from the core is responsible for the magnetic north and south poles we use when we navigate with a compass. It also creates a magnetic force field around the Earth, which extends into space. As charged particles (electrons are negative, protons are positive) in the solar wind encounter the Earth’s magnetic field, they travel along the field lines. On the sunward side, the field is compressed by the solar wind to be closer to the Earth; however, on the night side of the planet, the field stretches away from the planet like a tail. Eventually, the magnetic loops stretch so much that they break like an overstretched rubber band. A piece heads off into space away from Earth, while the other part snaps back toward Earth. The piece snapping back toward Earth accelerates the particles it captured into Earth’s upper atmosphere.When these particles hit molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, they trigger light displays depending on the altitude and energy of the collision. Most of the molecules in Earth’s atmosphere are either nitrogen or oxygen, so they are hit most frequently. Colors produced may be pink, red, yellow, green, blue, or violet. Occasionally, orange or white are produced. Typically, nitrogen will produce red, violet, or blue. Oxygen usually produces green or yellow. Reds generally are emitted above 240 km, greens at 100–240 km, purple and violet above 100 km, and blues at 80–100km.