By Amanda Briney Solid green and solid red auroras have been seen. Green is common at the upper latitudes, while red is rare. On the other hand, Aurora viewed from the lower latitudes tend to be red. Element Emission Colors Oxygen:The big player in the aurora is oxygen. Oxygen is respon...
The process behind these auroras are the same as on the Earth with gases in the upper atmosphere being excited by energetic particles streaming in near the magnetic poles. Most of these particles originate from the solar wind, however for Jupiter, some of them come from Jupiter’s closest ...
Not surprisingly, given the nature of what causes the auroras, it has been observed that the northern and southern auroras very closely mirror each other at any given moment. In Roman mythology, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn, which is how the first part of the name “aurora borealis”...
In this article, the term northern lights will predominantly be used, but the same science applies to the southern lights that are seen around the Antarctic. The reason the southern lights can often be overlooked is due to the fact that the strongest auroras occur on the Antarctic continent ...
So we found that during CMEs—with their enormous ejections of particles from the Sun—auroras are particularly intense. Now, as we’ve said, we can predict peaks in sunspot activity, but so far we can’t say the same for CMEs. ...
leading to auroral displays. Periods of increased solar activity, such as during the solar maximum of the sun’s approximately 11-year cycle, enhance the likelihood of auroras. For instance, in 2024, heightened solar activity led to more frequent and intense auroral displays, even at lower latit...
So we found that during CMEs—with their enormous ejections of particles from the Sun—auroras are particularly intense. Now, as we’ve said, we can predict peaks in sunspot activity, but so far we can’t say the same for CMEs. We don’t know when they’ll occur or how large they...
This remarkable spectacle occurs near Earth's poles and manifests as a dazzling display of dancing light, caused by the interaction between solar particles and our planet's atmosphere. Auroras come in a wide variety of colors — from green to pink to blue and purple — that can leave skywat...
What causes northern lights? The sun sends more than heat and light to Earth — it sends energy and charged particles known as the solar wind. But sometimes that solar wind becomes a storm. The sun’s outer atmosphere occasionally “burps” out huge bursts of energy called coronal ma...
Outside of Russia, the Arctic Circle's most populous municipality is Tromsø, Norway, which boasts the world's northernmost university. The Norwegian city is also one of the best places to watch the Northern Lights, aka auroras. 4. There's an Arctic Council In 1996, the Ottawa Declaratio...