Aurora

Could someone please tell me what causes the Auroras? Are they similar to
rainbows?
Thanks, Margret

"Margret" no wrote in :

Could someone please tell me what causes the Auroras? Are they similar
to rainbows?
Thanks, Margret




They are nothing like rainbows. A rainbow is formed by the dispersion of
sunlight by water droplets (rain). In effect each water droplet acts
like a small prism. The light in aurora's is directly emitted by
molecules in the upper atmosphere energised by the solar wind (charged
particles spewed out by the Sun). Strong aurora's generally follow
coronal mass ejections (CME'S) from the Sun that happen to be ejected in
the earth's direction. I suppose you could say the the Sun is a common
factor with the two phenomena.

Klazmon.

Margret wrote:
Could someone please tell me what causes the Auroras? Are they similar to
rainbows?
Thanks, Margret




Clearly a definite link has been established between solar flares, CME's
(Coronal Mass Ejection's), and the earth's magnetic field. Generally
the charged particles are drawn towards the North magnetic polar area
and dispersed or refracted throughout the northern hemisphere. The more
powerful the CME and solar flares are, the greater the spread of Aurora
visible affects.

However the fine details of the dynamical interaction between charged
particles and the ionosphere to the actual production of visible aurora
is still being fervently and thoroughly investigated by scientific teams
throughout the world.

Some feel that distant extrasolar GRB's (Gamma Ray Bursts, as well as
Cosmic Rays) can in some way influence the properties of the Sun's
corona which then lead to a build up and eventual release or ejection of
metamaterial. Maybe they are on to something?

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2437.htm

"May 15, 2005 — Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in
Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic storm on Sunday, May 15, which
they classified as an extreme event, measuring G-5—the highest level—on
the NOAA Space Weather Scales."

The above website contains great links to the SOHO satellite.


What I would like to know is, if the magnetic field of the earth was in
the process of failing, would visible Aurora become more common worldwide?

Llanzlan Klazmon wrote:
"Margret" no wrote in :


Could someone please tell me what causes the Auroras? Are they similar
to rainbows?
Thanks, Margret





They are nothing like rainbows. A rainbow is formed by the dispersion of
sunlight by water droplets (rain). In effect each water droplet acts
like a small prism. The light in aurora's is directly emitted by
molecules in the upper atmosphere energised by the solar wind (charged
particles spewed out by the Sun). Strong aurora's generally follow
coronal mass ejections (CME'S) from the Sun that happen to be ejected in
the earth's direction. I suppose you could say the the Sun is a common
factor with the two phenomena.

Klazmon.

You can check out some pictures of the May 14th spectacular Northern
Lights event at the following link:

http://www.spaceweather.com/

"SuperCool Plasma" wrote...
in message ...

Margret wrote:

Could someone please tell me what causes the Auroras? Are they similar
to
rainbows?
Thanks, Margret

Clearly a definite link has been established between solar flares, CME's
(Coronal Mass Ejection's), and the earth's magnetic field. Generally
the charged particles are drawn towards the North magnetic polar area
and dispersed or refracted throughout the northern hemisphere. The more
powerful the CME and solar flares are, the greater the spread of Aurora
visible affects.

However the fine details of the dynamical interaction between charged
particles and the ionosphere to the actual production of visible aurora
is still being fervently and thoroughly investigated by scientific teams
throughout the world.

Some feel that distant extrasolar GRB's (Gamma Ray Bursts, as well as
Cosmic Rays) can in some way influence the properties of the Sun's
corona which then lead to a build up and eventual release or ejection of
metamaterial. Maybe they are on to something?

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2437.htm

"May 15, 2005 — Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in
Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic storm on Sunday, May 15, which
they classified as an extreme event, measuring G-5—the highest level—on
the NOAA Space Weather Scales."

The above website contains great links to the SOHO satellite.


What I would like to know is, if the magnetic field of the earth was in
the process of failing, would visible Aurora become more common worldwide?

Just a guess, SC P, based on skimpy evidence... since the
aurora or Northern lights is the result of solar wind particles
being magnetically attracted to Earth's North pole and then
interacting with the atmosphere, if the Earth's magnetic field
were to collapse completely, those solar wind particles
would just keep on going around the Earth, just as most of
them do anyway.

So the answer to your question would be "no". Instead, the
visible aurora would disappear completely until Earth's
magnetic field reestablished itself, probably with a pole
reversal. These things (planetary pole reversals) usually take
hundreds, perhaps thousands of years to complete, so if the
Earth's magnetic *is* in the process of reversing (decreasing,
failing, then increasing in strength) we probably won't note
much difference in the aurora in our lifetimes (other than the
short-cycle differences we always see).

hth

happy days and...
starry starry nights!

--
I'm a fool upon a hill,
See my planet spinning still?
Sun goes down and stars arise
Warm and pleasing to mine eyes.

See my little telescope?
People say I'm such a dope;
I don't mind because I nurse
Secrets of the Universe!

Paine