By Sara Fathima
April 11 , 2022
Captivating waves of dancing light are formed when the solar winds strike the Earth’s ionosphere.
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The charged particles in these winds are trapped in the Earth's magnetic field.
Image source: NASA
They react with the gases in our atmosphere and emit colourful light. The colours of the aurora vary, depending on altitude and the kind of atoms involved.
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This phenomenon is called Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere and Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere. It occurs in regions closer to the poles.
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Auroras are the brightest and most frequent when solar storms occur and are ejected from the sun during its 11-year cycle of emission activity.
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There is increased activity in the solar wind during equinoxes called the magnetic storm. During this time, Auroras have been visible as far south as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Image source: NASA
Galileo Galilei coined the name Aurora Borealis in the 1600s — after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas. While Australis means southern in Latin.
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Auroras are not unique to Earth. Other planets that have an atmosphere and magnetic field also have them.
Image source: NASA