One of the world’s most fascinating and natural wonders are the Northern Lights. These magical lights come in a variety of dancing colors. This seemingly random light show occurs as a result of interactions of Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere with solar winds. Solar winds released by the Sun’s sunspot regions travel through space until they meet with Earth’s magnetosphere. Usually, the magnetic field is strong enough to block these winds, but near the poles, it is weak enough to be penetrated by the solar winds. The solar winds collide with Earth’s atmosphere and create the beautiful lights that we’ve come to admire.
The Northern Lights
Published
Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights as seen from Yellowknife (Northwest Territories, Canada) or Tromso (Northern Norway) would be a cool place to visit! A fun fact: Astronauts on the International Space Station are at the same altitude as the Northern Lights and see them from the side. For more: https://list25.com/25-interesting-facts-about-northern-lights-you-should-know-before-you-see-them/
LikeLike
It’s amazing to me that something that is so dangerous to human survival can create something so beautiful! I definitely want to observe some of these lights at some point in my lifetime. Also the fact that Earth was able to maintain a magnetic field strong enough to block solar winds while none of the other terrestrials could is remarkable. Although our planet is insignificant relative to the entire universe, I definitely still think it’s one of a kind.
LikeLike
Truly one of the most awesome natural phenomenon to occur on Earth! I knew that the Northern Lights had something to do with the Earth’s magnetic field, but I had no idea that these winds came directly from the sun! How cool it would be to see them in person. Also, thanks for the link reallyroyalqueen, that image of the northern lights from the space station is amazing!! Although I never put too much thought into it, I guess it makes sense that the Southern Lights exist too! If only the south pole was easier to travel to!
LikeLike
I’ll be visiting Iceland with my family in early June! (unfortunately peak aurora borealis time is from mid-September to April but maybe we’ll get lucky). My parents were worried about radiation 🙂 but luckily, they have no reason to be concerned! https://grapevine.is/mag/2017/08/02/ask-a-scientist-are-the-northern-lights-radioactive/
LikeLike