The aurora is a natural display of lights happening on the upper atmosphere, specifically, the magnetosphere, "the volume of space that surrounds the Earth" (Frequently Asked Questions about Aurora and Answers). It is a phenomenon that happens in the north and south poles, thus, the terms "northern lights" or the "southern lights. These lights are created when particles of the solar wind are sucked into the atmosphere with the help of Earth's magnetic fields. When this happens, the particles become energetically charged. As the "excited atom or molecule return[s] to the non-excited state [it sends] off a photon by making light" (Frequently Asked Questions about Aurora and Answers). The colors of the aurora are determined by the altitude of the atmosphere where the "[topmost layer is often associated] with red, the middle is greenish-white, and the lower edge is pink" (Frequently Asked Questions about Aurora and Answers). Movements of oxygen and nitrogen gases are responsible for these color emissions.
Auroras seldom negatively affect Earth as it only indicates some disturbance on the planet's magnetic field and surrounding space environment. Climate-wise, no changes are felt because most of the effects happen "on the high altitude atmosphere" (Frequently Asked Questions about Aurora and Answers). The major effects that could happen include disturbance on radio signals as radio waves are disturbed in the atmosphere; loss of electricity when the magnetic field combines with the solar wind's own energy fields; and falling spacecrafts. This latter effect happens when low-flying satellites hit the atmosphere, causing them to slow down and fall back into Earth.
Auroras may not always be visible as there are times when the reflections are weak or instances of cloud cover, but it should never be mistaken with the sun's rays when it is visible. To differentiate it from the light emitted by the sun, auroras are typically oval and appear like rings crowning the Earth's upper and lower hemisphere. A misconception about aurora sightings is that they are best viewed during the colder months. However, this is untrue because auroras can also be spotted during warm, summer months. The association was made only because auroras are best seen during dark and clear skies, which often mean colder nights (Salat 2012).
The best places for aurora sightings are in the northern polar latitudes such as Northern Canada, Iceland, Alaska, Greenland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Siberia during the months f August to April when the nights are at its darkest and longest. Although auroras occur throughout the evening, the best time to see them is at midnight, lasting between 3-4 hours.
Aural displays also occur in the South Pole that usually looks the same as the sightings in the North Pole. As winter is the best time for auroral sightings in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere experiences the best displays during fall and spring season.
Works Cited
Auroral Legends. N. d. Asahi Aurora Classroom. Web. 24 November 2012.
Fearful Omens. N. d. Asahi Aurora Classroom. Web. 24 November 2012.
"Frequently Asked Questions about Aurora and Answers." 2012. Geophysical Institute. Web. 24 November 2012.
Salat, Todd. "Predicting the Aurora Borealis." 2012. AuroraHunter.com. Web. 24 November 2012.
