Aurora Borealis
What is the actual cause of the Aurora Borealis?
the lights of the aurora are really collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere.
Is there a best place to see the northern lights?
Alaska's location within "the zone" means you are almost guaranteed to see amazing light displays.
Is there a best time of the year to view them?
The northern lights are brightest when the sun's surface reaches temperatures above 6000 degrees celsius. This normally happens in the months of March and september.
what is the difference between the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis? Similarities?
The Aurora Borealis is in the northen hemisphere at the north pole. However the Aurora Australis is in the southern hemisphere at the south pole. That is the only difference in them; they are both formed in the same way. They are both polar lights but one is in the northern and one is in the southern hemisphere which is why they are called the northern and southern lights. They are on the different poles on the earth, other than that, they are the same.
How could someone forecast when the auroras will occur?
hen the solar wind is calm, there is normally very little aurora, when the solar wind is very strong and perturbed, we have a chance of intense aurora.
What causes the different colers of the Northern lights.
When an excited atom or molecule returns to the ground state, it sends out a photon with a specific energy. This energy depends on the type of atom and on the level of excitement, and we perceive the energy of a photon as color.