The Northern Lights : Scientific, Study, and Application
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The Northern lights : Scientific, study, and application
The Northern lights is the name of the light phenomenon that is often seen in the northern regions of the world.The scientific name for the phenomenon is “Aurora Borealis”, often called the aurora for short.The bright lights of the aurora are collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earthsatmosphere.Since all the planets in our galaxcy are exposed to solar wind their atmospheres are electrically charged with energetic particles causing them to have auroras However every Planet has a different magnetic field . Planets like Venus, which has no magnetic field, causes it to have an very irregular aurora. Where as Planets like Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, have auroras in the shape of oval shaped crowns of light on both hemispheres. What causes the aurora are particles called electrons and protons that are energized in an environment. Which it draws its energy from the interaction of the Earths magnetosphere and with solar wind. A magnetosphere is the volume of space that surrounds the Earth. The reason why the Earth has a magnetosphere is because of Earths internal magnetic field that extends to space until it is balanced by a solar wind. When a solar wind encounters the Earths magnetic field, it bends the field unless the field gets too strong. The distance at which a solar wind and a magnetic field of the Earth balances each other is about 60,000 km away, or 1/10 of the distance to the moon.When the magnetic field in the solar wind and the magnetic field of the magnetosphere are anti-parallel, the fields melt together, and the solar wind drags the magnetospheric field and plasma along.Then the magnetosphere responds by dumping electrons and protons into the high latitude upper atmosphere where the energy of the plasma can be dissipated. This then results in an aurora.The lights can be seen above both the northern and southern hemispheres on Earth.They are known as Aurora borealis in the north and Aurora australis in the south. The Northern Lights may appear in manycolours, such as pale green and pink which are the most common. Moreover Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported by scientist. The lights may appear in many forms such as patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays. There have been many questions conjured up among residents of the north about wheather the Aurora Borealis makes sounds. There have been many attempts to record sound during a northern light phenomenon but all of whom attempted failded to produce any proof that such sounds exist. But there have been many reports throughtout the centuries thus the idea that the Aurora Borealis produces sound hasnt been ignored by scientist. Though the northern lights, are often seen in the far northern parts of the planet. The lights may be seen in many regions on the Earth.There were more than 160 aurora sightings late Friday August 11 and early Saturday August 12 that were reported to the Auroral Activity Observation Network. Most reports were from the northern United States and Canada. But there were also reports from southern California, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico and Utah , Seminole, Texas, about 32 degrees north latitude; Lubbock, Texas and Anza, California, 33 degrees; Wrightwood, California, 34 degrees; Las Vegas, Nevada and Harrison, Arkansas, 36 degrees; Rio Rancho, New Mexico, roughly 35 or 36 degrees; Stokesville, Virginia, 38 degrees; Lucas Point Park, Kansas, 39 degrees; Fillmore, Utah, 38 degrees along with Emerald, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Champaign, Illinois at 40 degrees north.The aurora borealis has fascinated, and terrified humans for thousands of years. As people began to seek explanations for the light phenomenon they came up with many theories, myths , and legends about the phenomenon.And there are still many unsolved questions about the northern light phenomenon scientist have yet to answer.
The Northern lights : Myth, Legend , and Superstition
The aurora borealis ( The Northern Lights ) has intrigued many ancient people all through out history of mankind . Some drawing created by Cro-Magnon