Nature’s Sensational Phenomenon Aurora Borealis

For a layman to understand this natural wonder, we can state in simple words that it happens due to sun and earth’s magnetic field. If you recall from your early science lessons at school earth behaves like a huge magnet. This magnet has 2 poles – North Pole and South Pole.

Thanks to our scientists we know what causes Northern lights. The event of Auroras is triggered by the emission from sun. Auroras happen when these charged particles from sun collide the particles in the earth’s atmosphere, the head on collision of these high speed articles cause a flood of sparkling lights. The gigantic solar eruption is known as coronal mass ejection, as a result one sees mild to powerful spate of displays.

As the charged particles called electrons enter the topmost layer of earth’s atmosphere, they collide with the atoms of oxygen and nitrogen. This happens at an altitude of 20 to 200 miles above the ground. There is a reason for the colour of Aurora Borealis, it all depends upon the altitude and what are the atoms of collision –

Purple or Violet display of Aurora forms 60 miles above the ground when the charged particles collide with nitrogen

Blue or Indigo display of Aurora forms less than 60 miles above the ground when the charged particles collide with nitrogen

Red and orange display of Aurora above 150 miles above the ground when the charged particles collide with oxygen

Green display of Aurora forms less than 150 miles above the ground when the charged particles collide with oxygen

The location of Aurora Borealis is the “Aurora ovals”, this place is on the magnetic poles both in the north and south, it will be prudent to remember that these poles are different than the geographic poles and lie approximately around Arctic and Antarctic circles.

Sun spots accelerate the happening of Northern lights, the activity is known to repeat itself in an 11 year cycle. Chances of spotting spectacular auroras are tremendous during the sunspot activities.