what is an aurora?

Question

like what is it and how does it become created??

Answer 1

The aurora is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone. For this reason some scientists call it a "polar aurora" (or "aurora polaris"). In northern latitudes it is known as the aurora borealis, which is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas, since in Europe especially it often appears as a reddish glow on the northern horizon as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the northern lights since it is only visible from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. Its southern counterpart, aurora australis, has similar properties.

Answer 2

An aurora is a brilliant sky show that is seen in places near the poles. The two types of auroras are the northern lights, and the southern lights, the aurora, borealis, and aurora australis. Auroras are formed due to the magnetic interference coming from the sun's radiation, being manipulated by the earth's atmosphere.
Im not quite sure about that
but hope it helps.........

Answer 3

The aurora borealis is caused by electrically charged particles from the sun being funneled by the earth's electromagnetic field to the North and South Poles (that is where the earth's EM field is the weakest, sort of like the centre of a hurricane is quiet). When these particles get to the pole, they move down into the atmosphere and react with the atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, causing them to glow (sort of like glow-in-the-dark paint). The aurora appear like "curtains" or sheets due to alignment of the particles (sort of like polarization in sunglasses). The movement is caused by turbulence in the upper atmosphere moving the atoms and the particles around.
There is a lot more detail, but that's the basics.

You might search for "aurora borealis" on wikipedia.

Answer 4

They a lights that occur near the northern and southern poles, and are created when the solar wind interacts with the flux of the magnetic poles entering and exiting the earth in the upper atmosphere. The magnetic field of the earth usually blocks the effect of the solar wind from the sun but at these polar regions where they re-enter and exit the earth, they allow some of this solar radiation to come into contact with the upper ionosphere, the result is a discharge of energy in the visual spectrum.

Answer 5

The aurora is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone. For this reason some scientists call it a "polar aurora" (or "aurora polaris"). In northern latitudes it is known as the aurora borealis (IPA /ɔˈɹɔɹə bɔɹiˈælɪs/), which is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas, since in Europe especially it often appears as a reddish glow on the northern horizon as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the northern lights since it is only visible from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. Its southern counterpart, aurora australis, has similar properties.

Auroral Mechanism
Auroras are now known to be caused by the collision of charged particles (e.g. electrons), found in the Sun's Solar wind, with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere (at altitudes above 80 km). These charged particles are typically energized to levels between 1 thousand and 15 thousand electronvolts and, as they collide with atoms of gases in the atmosphere, the atoms become energized. Shortly afterwards, the atoms emit their gained energy as light (see Fluorescence). Light emitted by the Aurora tends to be dominated by emissions from atomic oxygen, resulting in a greenish glow (at a wavelength of 557.7 nm) and - especially at lower energy levels and at higher altitudes - the dark-red glow (at 630.0 nm of wavelength). Both of these represent forbidden transitions of electrons of atomic oxygen that, in absence of newer collisions, persist for a long time and account for the slow brightening and fading (0.5-1 s) of auroral rays. Many other colors - especially those emitted by atomic and molecular nitrogen (blue and purple, respectively)[1] - can also be observed. These, however, vary much faster and reveal the true dynamic nature of auroras.

As well as visible light, auroras emit ultraviolet (UV) rays as well as X-rays (as observed by the Polar spacecraft). While the visible light emissions of auroras can easily be seen on Earth, the UV and X-ray emissions are best seen from space, as the Earth's atmosphere tends to absorb and attenuate these emissions.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 6

The sun sends a constant stream of charged particles, know as the solar wind, into space. These energized particles interact with a protective magnetic shield that shrouds our planet.

Earth's magnetosphere, as the shield is called, is made up of invisible lines of a magnetic field that radiate out into space from the poles. The magnetosphere forces the solar wind to slide around it, protecting the planet from radiation.

The charged particles squeeze the magnetic field into a teardrop shape. In the magnetosphere, researchers say, the interaction creates electric fields and electromagnetic waves that transfer their energy to electrons, which then plunge into the atmosphere.

The charged particles excite oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere to create the aurora borealis, or northern lights. (The same condition creates the aurora australis, or southern lights.)

"The aurora varies in intensity from brightness equal to that of the Milky Way up to the equivalent of a full Moon," says climatologist Jan Curtis, who photographs auroras from his home in Alaska. "Colors range from mostly greens to reds, and take on the forms of discrete rays, homogeneous bands and arcs, or diffuse glowing clouds. Their movement can be stationary, or zip across the entire sky in seconds."

Thanks to satellites, researchers are getting their best look ever at auroras, and what's behind them. Using three satellites, including the Polar spacecraft, scientists now can make before-and-after measurements of the phenomenon when a gust of solar wind passes by.

James Spann, a space plasma physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, explains a recent finding based on satellite data: When a pressure wave of solar radiation hits the leading edge of Earth's magnetosphere, known as the bow, it can cause the shield to contract, and the aurora brightens. As the pressure wave travels along the magnetosphere, the brighter area moves with it, said Spann and his colleagues in a study published in June of 1999.

As the sun approaches solar maximum, a peak of activity, expected in the coming months, flings more and more bursts of energy into space, forcing a corresponding increase in the auroras.

Answer 7

Auroras are heavenly lights created by the sun and the earth's atmosphere. Two examples are the northern and southern lights.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/auroras/

Answer 8

Eminating from the sun are clouds of ions af various meterial, derived from sunspot activity. As the ions enter the earth's atmosphere and are affected by the earth's magnetic field, they glow in patterns which are rather spectacular. Since the earth's magnetic field is strongest at the north and south poles, the aurora are most evident in those regions.

Answer 9

It's the lights by the poles. It's very beautiful since it's like a gigantic rainbow, only a bit (a lot more) distorted.
The light from the sun is distorted by our atmosphere near the north and south poles. That makes the bright colors we see usually at dawn or at night.

Answer 10

zn aurora is a bright light in the north and south poles. it is caused by solar particals passing through the atomosphere.