Sunday, January 7, 2018

How the Aurora Borealis Form

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https://www.nps.gov/voya/learn/nature/images/NASA_web_northernlights.jpg


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http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/aurora-graph.JPG

The aurora borealis (northern lights) form when charged particles emitted from the sun during a solar flare penetrate the earth's magnetic shield and collide with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere. These collisions result in countless little bursts of light, called photons, which make up the aurora.

What are auroras and why do they occur?
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.


http://www.lebanoninapicture.com/Prv/Images/Pages/Page_138979/how-northern-light-aurora-is-formed-nothernligh-9-22-2017-11-27-22-am-l.jpg
Where aurora can be seen?
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.

Aurora Borealis - Dreamesque - Ralph Zurmühle - Solo Piano

What Causes the Northern Lights? Click here to view Youtube tutorial 

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