Living in a northern region allows us to take in the beauty
of the northern lights. Numerous nights
throughout the year provide a wonderful opportunity to take in this dynamic
light show. Streams of colour paint the
night sky in a lively show.
Have you ever wondered what causes the northern lights or
how they get their colour? Northern lights are a result of charged particles
from the sun’s atmosphere colliding with gaseous particles in the earth’s
atmosphere. Yellow/green is the most
common colour which is produced by oxygen molecules that are approximately 97 km
above the earth’s surface. Pink/red
lights are produced by oxygen molecules that are approximately 322 km above the
earth’s surface. While blue/purple
lights are produced by nitrogen molecules.
The sun has such a high temperature. As a result, it is a common occurrence for collisions
between gas molecules which results in freed electrons and protons entering the
earth’s atmosphere. Solar winds carry
the charged particles. As they have a
charge, the earth’s magnetic field deflects them but the magnetic field at each
of the poles is weaker so some particles enter.
It is these charged particles which collide with gas molecules that
result in the magnificent light show known as the aurora borealis.
There is a website you can visit to try to best determine a
night to see the northern lights. The
website is based out of Edmonton which provides updates and alerts for when the
northern lights should be out. This
website can be found at the following link: http://www.aurorawatch.ca/. They are seen best when the sky is dark and
there is little to no light pollution from street lights.
The aurora borealis are quite a tremendous thing to
behold. They can last for long or short
periods of time. Be patient and take
time to enjoy the show from mother nature.
