My Science School

For those living near the North or South Pole, the night sky can often put on a show, dubbed the aurora. The lights are called aurora borealis or northern lights near the North Pole, while it is called aurora australis or southern lights near the South Pole.

Irrespective of where it occurs, it is quite a sight to behold. And even though the spectacle is best seen in the night, it is actually caused by the sun.

When the sun burps…

Along with heat and light, sun sends a lot of energy and small particles as well. While the Earth’s magnetic field is adept at shielding us from these most times, there are occasions when the energy and small particles can travel into the Earth’s atmosphere, especially near the poles.

One of those occasions occurs during a coronal mass ejection, a type of a solar storm. The sun can be said to burp a huge bubble of electrified gas that has ability to move at high speeds through space. Some of the energy and solar particles from this can make their way to the Earth’s atmosphere near the poles.

Not just on Earth

Once in the Earth’s atmosphere, the particles can then interact with the gases available. It is this interaction that results in the brilliant displays in the night sky. Green (like in the picture here) and red lights are given off by oxygen, while interaction with nitrogen leads to a bluish or purple glow.

Auroras are not limited to just Earth. If a planet possesses an atmosphere and magnetic field, then the chances of auroras open up. In fact, we have observed splendid auroras both on Jupiter and Saturn. 

Picture Credit : Google