The aurora borealis is also known as polar lights, aurora polaris, northern lights, aurora, or aurora australis. It is a display of light that occurs naturally in the sky above our planet, and is not man-made.
High-latitude locales, such as the Arctic and Antarctic, are where it is most commonly found. An aurora borealis is distinguished by its stunning display of lights that seem as curtains, beams, spirals, or flickers across the entire sky.
Where can I see the aurora borealis?
Fairbanks, Alaska, Yellowknife, Canada, Troms, Norway, Northern Sweden and Finland, Greenland, Tasmania, and New Zealand are among the places where you can catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis.
Why is aurora borealis so special?
The Northern Lights (Aurora Polaris) are a spectacular example of a natural phenomena. They can be found on both sides of the equator. Auroral light can be seen when high-energy particles in the Earth’s upper atmosphere smash with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen.
What is aurora borealis and why does it happen?
When the solar wind passes through the Earth’s magnetic field and into the atmosphere, it produces aurora borealis. Atmospheric energy is liberated when solar wind protons and electrons collide with airborne particles. Aurora borealis, another name for the northern lights, is the result of this process.
What causes aurora borealis?
The lines of force in the Earth’s magnetic field generate the aurora borealis.
Aurora borealis may be hidden over mainland US, but the northern lights could put on a show in other countries
Many Americans were unable to catch a glimpse of the northern lights this weekend due to rain or cloud cover, but other countries and Alaska could be in for a surprise on Halloween night.
According to forecasts, a massive solar flare that exploded Thursday and became visible to Earth on Saturday could end Sunday’s festive lights show in parts of Canada, Alaska, and Russia.
As of Friday, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast has said the northern lights might be seen from Portland, Oregon, all the way up to New York City.
In many parts of the northern United States, the aurora borealis was obscured by rain, fog, or overcast sky, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar reported.
CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said Sunday that most of the mainland United States was unlikely to see any more of the northern lights this weekend.
However, “Aurora may be visible at high latitudes such as Canada and Alaska,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center stated on Sunday. Minor power grid jitters can happen..”
A collision between electrons and Earth’s atmosphere is what causes the northern and southern lights, according to the NOAA. This collision occurs in both hemispheres.
By accelerating the electrons, they become more energetic. In the upper atmosphere of Earth, the accelerated electrons crash with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules, according to the agency.
Atmospheric energy is transferred to atoms and molecules through these collisions, which in turn excite the atoms and molecules. After lowering their energy levels, they emit light as a sort of release.