HARIANHALUAN.COM – Aurora or polar light is no stranger to the ear. It is a natural phenomenon that creates blazing, colorful, dancing lights in the sky.
Aurora is usually green and looks very beautiful. The light is so hypnotizing to the eye that anyone who sees it will be amazed.
So how does the aurora occur? The following descriptions are reported from various sources, one of them is RMG.
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The aurora seen in the night sky are actually caused by activity on the surface of the Sun. The solar storm on the surface of the star ejects huge clouds of charged particles.
These particles can travel millions of kilometers, and some may end up hitting Earth.
Most of these particles are deflected, but some are trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field and move through the atmosphere toward the North and South Poles. Because of this, aurora activity is concentrated at the magnetic poles.
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“These particles then hit atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere and essentially heat them up. We call this physical process ‘excitation’, but it’s a lot like heating up gas and making it glow,” said Royal Observatory astronomer Tom Kerss, quoted from RMG in Wednesday 22 February 2023.
What we see are atoms and molecules in the atmosphere colliding with particles from the sun. The aurora’s characteristic wave pattern and “sheer curtain” are caused by the “lines of force” of Earth’s magnetic field.
The lowest part of the Aurora is usually about 80 miles above the surface. However, the top can span thousands of miles around the world.
The colors of the aurora are different because gases give off different colors when heated. The same process happens with Aurora.
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The two main gases in Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, and these elements give off different colors during aurora displays. The green color seen in auroras is characteristic of oxygen, while the purple, blue, and pink colors are caused by nitrogen.
