Sometimes a high level of solar activity can lead to strong and violent gusts of solar winds interacting with the Earth’s magnetosphere, causing a geomagnetic storm. In the south, auroras can sometimes be seen from southern Australia, New Zealand, and Chile. This auroral zone covers Central and northern Alaska and Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia and Russia in the Northern Hemisphere, and Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. If one were to look from space, they would see a ring-shaped aurora spanning around 2500 miles (4000 kms) around both poles. And Many Different ShapesĪuroral shapes tend to fall in six categories – curtains, bands, veils, coronas, patches, and rays. A mix of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere creates multicolored auroras.īecause particles from solar winds continually enter the Earth’s atmosphere and interact with gas atoms, aurora displays can be static as well as dynamic – they can change shape and colors, and pulsate in the skies. Oxygen atoms emit yellow-green or red colored light, while nitrogen atoms generate blue or purplish-red colored light. The color of the light released depends on the kind of gas molecules, their electrical state at the time of collision, and the type of the solar wind particles they collide with. Any excess energy is then released by these excited atoms in the form of light.Īuroral light displays tend to occur at between 50 miles (80.46 kilometers) and 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth. When such collisions occur, the energy from the electrons in the solar winds is transferred to electrons in the atoms of different atmospheric gases. While the Earth’s magnetosphere is responsible for protecting it from the highly charged particles in the solar wind, sometimes, when the conditions are right, these particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere at the two poles, where they collide and interact with gas molecules and atoms. It deflects most of the highly charged particles from solar winds and stops them from entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s magnetosphere shields the Earth from solar winds and other harmful cosmic rays. Its shape and size continuously change as it gets bombarded by solar winds. The region of this field where the Earth’s magnetic influence dominates over solar winds is known as the magnetosphere. The Earth is a giant magnet, with its magnetic field extending from the Earth’s core to the area in space where it meets solar winds. Solar winds can reach speeds of one million miles per hour. It is a continuous stream of highly energized particles – mostly electrons and protons – that flow out from the Sun through space at very high speeds and high temperature. The Sun continuously emits electromagnetic radiation and highly energized particles into space, which produce space weather. These dramatic and colorful lights are created when electrically charged particles from solar winds enter the Earth’s atmosphere and interact with gases in the atmosphere. In the Arctic Circle, they are known as aurora borealis or the northern lights, while in the Antarctic Circle they are called aurora australis or the southern lights. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).
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