Aurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis are the visible interactions of charged particles, from the solar wind, trapped in the Earth's magnetosphere, with the upper elements of the Earth's atmosphere.[1]
Sol, our sun, emits a constant stream of electrons, and ions, called the solar wind. Most of those charge particles don't strike the Earth's atmosphere, the gas layer that surrounds Earth's solid surface, because they get caught in the Earth's magnetic field, its magnetosphere.
But, the magnetosphere's closest approach to the atmosphere is at its poles, and here, particles do interact with the atmosphere.
Except during the most intense magnetic storms, the aurora are only visible at night. When they are visible observes can see changing patterns of light. Observers compare them to curtains. Observers generally regard the aurora as impressive, or even awe-inspiring.
In the northern hemisphere visible Aurora are called the Aurora Borealis. In the southern hemisphere the phenomenon is known as the Aurora Australis.
In Japan there is a tradition that couples who make love, under an Aurora, will have a baby, and there are tour companies that specialize in flying couples to places where auroras are frequent.
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References[edit]
- ↑
Alister Graham (January 2000). "Solar Outbursts - Storm Warning". Sky and Telescope. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
The flow of charged solar particles through the Earth's upper atmosphere is strong enough to ionise atmospheric particles, resulting in the eerie glow in the twilight sky known as the aurora, or the southern and northern lights. Because the interaction of magnetic fields and charged particles is greatest near the Earth's magnetic poles, the auroral phenomenon is more prevalent there than at middle latitudes.