What do the colors of the Aurora Borealis indicate?

Arabia Weather - The aurora borealis is one of the most amazing astronomical phenomena that can be seen in the sky, arousing the admiration of astronomers and the public alike. It is also known as the “Northern Lights” or the “Polar Dawn.” Enchanting and colorful scenes are displayed on the large celestial screen in the direction of... Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Sometimes the aurora borealis appear in the form of beautiful arcs or curls, and other times they appear in the form of bright radiation that lasts for long periods, which may extend until dawn. It is very rare for the aurora to be the same in time or place, as it takes changing shapes and movements depending on the intensity of the charged particles. that causes it to occur.

The aurora borealis usually appears after sunset, when a transparent arc appears on the northern horizon that lasts for about half an hour, then it begins to move upward in the sky, and the higher it rises, the brighter it becomes and another new arc appears behind it, and so on. As these arcs rise, bright curves and rings form between them, before the twilight gradually fades after some time.

What do the colors of the Aurora Borealis indicate?

The aurora borealis takes two main forms: the ribbon form and the cloud form. The aurora display in the sky usually begins in a ribbon form, extending several hundred kilometers in length and several thousand kilometers in width east and west, which appears clearly when compared to the background of stars, which appear small compared to the Its area is wide and its thickness usually ranges between only several hundred meters.

The colors in the aurora borealis are characterized by their diversity, as they are dominated by green, red, violet, and yellow, while the rest of the colors mix to form a mixture of primary colors. Oxygen controls the green and red colors, while nitrogen controls the blue and bright red colors. The appearance of color depends on the height of atoms in the upper atmosphere.

What do the colors of the northern lights mean?

• Red color: indicates the presence of atomic oxygen at high altitudes. It can only be seen under intense solar activity; Due to the low oxygen concentration at those altitudes. (over 150 miles or 241.4 km)
• Green color: indicates the presence of atomic oxygen at a low altitude, emitting green light instead of red; Due to the high concentration of oxygen at those altitudes. (Up to 150 miles or 241.4 miles)
• Purple and blue: indicate the presence of ionized molecular nitrogen, and this includes the reaction of molecular nitrogen. Atomic oxygen is scarce at low altitudes, so blue and purple colors are associated with intense solar activity. (More than 60 miles or 96.6 miles)

To understand how the aurora borealis occurs, we must understand what is happening on the surface of the Sun. Click on the following link:

What is the phenomenon of the Northern Lights (Aurora)?

Solar storm and aurora borealis

In recent hours, X platforms and social networking sites have witnessed the hashtag “Aurora” spreading widely, especially after the appearance of magical colors in the skies of some regions of Europe and the United States. As for the Arab countries, the aurora borealis appeared in the skies of Algeria and the countries of the Mediterranean as a result of the recent solar storm.

The most powerful solar storm has reached Earth in decades, displaying stunning lights in the sky, raising fears of possible disruption to satellites and power grids over the weekend.

Regarding the duration of the aurora's continuation, it takes only eight minutes for light to travel a distance of 93 million miles from the sun to Earth, but according to astrophysicist Jana Levin, the energetic particles that cause this current wave of aurora move more slowly, which makes the phenomenon continuous. Until the end of the week.

Sunspot observations, a key indicator of the potential for the northern lights, have increased dramatically since the end of 2022, exceeding previous expectations and expanding the viewing areas of the phenomenon in some cases.

The aurora borealis appears for the first time in the skies of #Algeria and the Mediterranean Sea
The phenomenon of the aurora borealis due to the intense explosion that occurred in the sun
Algeria #Auroraborealis #solarstorm pic.twitter.com/30r8kpfd3U

- World_Weather (@Arab_Storms) May 11, 2024

See also:

What is a solar storm?

Due to the solar storm... a disruption in Starlink services that provide Internet services via satellite

Sources:

aljazeera