Explain how and where auroras occur in the atmosphere.

Answer 1

Auroras occur in the Earth's atmosphere in the polar regions, near the magnetic poles. These natural light displays are caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.

Solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, interacts with the Earth's magnetic field and accelerates charged particles from the Earth's ionosphere towards the poles. The charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the Earth's atmosphere producing bright, colorful lights in the sky. The colors are caused by the different atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere and the altitude at which the collisions occur. For example, nitrogen produces blue or purple light while oxygen produces green, red or yellow light.

Auroras typically occur in oval-shaped regions around the poles where the Earth's magnetic field lines exit and enter the atmosphere. The northern lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, occur in the northern hemisphere while the southern lights, also known as Aurora Australis, occur in the southern hemisphere. These stunning light shows can be seen high in the sky, often dancing and changing shape, and occur more frequently during times of high solar activity.