What is “Aurora?

An aurora is a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. These disturbances are usually more intense during periods of high solar activity, such as solar flares, and can vary in color and complexity.

The basic process involves the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. When these charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, they excite the atoms and molecules, causing them to light up. The specific colors of the aurora, typically green, red, yellow, blue, and violet, depend on the type of gas molecules involved and the altitude at which the interactions occur. For example, the most common color, green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the Earth.

There are two types of auroras – the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, seen in the northern hemisphere, and the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, seen in the southern hemisphere. These displays can range from subtle glows on the horizon to vast curtains of light that fill the sky, providing one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena.

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