A Biased View of Northern lights (aurora borealis): What they are and how to

What are Northern Lights? The brilliant dancing lights of the aurora are actually accidents between electrically charged particles from the sun that go into the earth's environment. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are called 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south.

Tones of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have actually been reported. The lights appear in numerous types from spots or spread clouds of light to banners, arcs, rippling drapes or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie radiance. What causes the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights are in fact the result of accidents in between gaseous particles in the Earth's environment with charged particles launched from the sun's atmosphere.

Northern lights: See aurora borealis across northern US states

The most typical auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules situated about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of as much as 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora. The connection between the Northern Lights and sunspot activity has been suspected considering that about 1880.

The 15 Best Places to See the Northern Lights - Travel - US News

(Note: 1957-58 was International Geophysical Year and the atmosphere was studied extensively with balloons, radar, rockets and satellites. Rocket research study is still carried out by researchers at Poker Flats, a facility under the direction of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks - see websites The temperature above the surface area of the sun is millions of degrees Celsius.

Northern Lights: Say hello to Northern Lights: Embark on guided 'Aurora Borealis' trails to witness nature's marvel - The Economic Times

Rumored Buzz on Northern Lights: 11 best places to see the aurora borealis

Free electrons and protons are thrown from the sun's atmosphere by the rotation of the sun and escape through holes in the electromagnetic field. View Details towards the earth by the solar wind, the charged particles are mostly deflected by the earth's electromagnetic field. However, the earth's electromagnetic field is weaker at either pole and for that reason some particles get in the earth's environment and hit gas particles.

The lights of the Aurora normally extend from 80 kilometres (50 miles) to as high as 640 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth's surface area. Where is the very best place to see the Northern Lights? Northern Lights can be seen in the northern or southern hemisphere, in an irregularly shaped oval centred over each magnetic pole.