How do you explain the aurora borealis to a child?
How do you explain the aurora borealis to a child?
Starts here4:12Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis for Kids – YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clip55 second suggested clipThey are usually greenish in color. But are sometimes blue violet pink or even red aurora isMoreThey are usually greenish in color. But are sometimes blue violet pink or even red aurora is constantly move and change shape. Sometimes they are so dim that can be mistaken for clouds.
What is interesting about aurora borealis?
The aurora borealis – otherwise known as the northern lights – is a vivid demonstration of the Earth’s magnetic field interacting with charged particles from the sun. Auroras are visible south of the zone, but they are less likely to occur the farther away you go.
How fast is the aurora borealis?
But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. Energized particles from the sun slam into Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million km/h), but our planet’s magnetic field protects us from the onslaught.
What is aurora borealis in simple words?
An aurora, also called polar light, northern light or southern light, is a natural light display in the sky. They are usually seen in the high latitudes (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. Auroras are produced when the Earth’s magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind.
Why do auroras occur for kids?
When the solar wind gets past the magnetic field and travels towards the Earth, it runs into the atmosphere. As the protons and electrons from the solar wind hit the particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, they release energy – and this is what causes the northern lights.
Why is Aurora Borealis Green?
The most common color seen in the Northern Lights is green. When the solar wind hits millions of oxygen atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere at the same time, it excites the oxygen atoms for a time and they decay back to their original state, when they emit the green hue we can see from the ground.
Do aurora lights move?
The phenomenon. The Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis, appear in a clear night sky as swirling rivers of greenish-blue light. They move and dance unpredictably; sometimes barely perceptible, then suddenly growing vivid.
Does the aurora borealis touch the ground?
(Likely it would be visible as increased local skyglow, but would be invisible against the Earth.) Secondly, the aurora are essentially photon emissions from nitrogen and oxygen molecules, so you can’t really touch it (as much as you can ‘touch’ a sunbeam). Even the gas that emits the photons is extremely tenuous.
What causes the aurora lights?
When the electrons reach Earth’s thin upper atmosphere, they collide with nitrogen and oxygen molecules, sending them into an excited state. The excited electrons eventually calm down and release light, which is what we see as the aurora.
How is Aurora Borealis created?
As solar wind approaches the Earth, it meets the Earth’s magnetic field. In the ionosphere, the ions of the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen from the Earth’s atmosphere. The energy released during these collisions causes a colorful glowing halo around the poles—an aurora.
What really causes the aurora borealis?
the aurora borealis is caused by particles from the sun blowing toward the earth with the solar wind. When these particles hit the earth’s magnetic field, the crash of atoms and molecules creates a beautiful sight. Oxygen atoms reflect green and red light.
Where and when to see aurora borealis?
The aurora borealis is also called the northern lights since it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere . The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April.
What part of the atmosphere causes the aurora borealis?
The typical aurora is caused by collisions between fast-moving electrons from space with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere .
What causes Aurora Borealis?
The aurora australis occurs in the southern hemisphere while the aurora borealis is noted in the northern hemisphere.
