Submission + - Aurora lights: The science behind the nighttime spectacle (dw.com) 1
alternative_right writes: Huge explosions on the surface of the sun, known as solar storms, regularly eject vast streams of electrically charged particles. Some of this plasma ends up traveling toward Earth and is pulled toward the planet's magnetic poles.
"These particles then slam into atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere and essentially heat them up," explained astronomer Tom Kerss on the Royal Museums Greenwich website. "It's very much like heating a gas and making it glow."
The different colors of light depend on the elements in the atmosphere. Oxygen, which makes up about 21% of the atmosphere, emits a green color when heated, while nitrogen tints the light purple, blue or pink.
"These particles then slam into atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere and essentially heat them up," explained astronomer Tom Kerss on the Royal Museums Greenwich website. "It's very much like heating a gas and making it glow."
The different colors of light depend on the elements in the atmosphere. Oxygen, which makes up about 21% of the atmosphere, emits a green color when heated, while nitrogen tints the light purple, blue or pink.
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