Can someone explain northern lights for me and my boy?

Answer 1

Keep the answers simple people there are no extra points for verbal diarrhea.
The radiation from solar flares ionize gases at the top of the atmosphere, causing them to glow in the same way as neon lights work .

Answer 2

Because you are seeing light you are actually observing photons. Electrons and protons from the sun are directed by the magnetic field of the earth and interact with atoms and molecules of the gases in the atmosphere. The energy of the bombarding particles kick electrons of the gases up into more energetic orbits. When the electrons return to their rest orbits they give off their excess energy as photons with wavelengths (and colors) that correspond to the excess energy they carry away at the speed of light. The northern lights may appear like vertical curved sheets that glow because they are so formed by the earth's magnetism.

Answer 3

Basically, solar wind, emmitted from the sun, hits the atmosphere and causes discharges of radiation, which produces the arather wonderful spectacle of the northern lights.

Answer 4

it is also called Auroras (or aurorae) . Auroras (or aurorae) [sing: aurora] are natural colored light displays, which are usually observed in the night sky, particularly in the polar zone. Some scientists therefore call them "polar auroras" (or "aurorae polaris").

In northern latitudes, it is known as the aurora borealis, named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. It often appears as a greenish glow (or sometimes a faint red), as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the northern lights, as it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April.

Auroras are now known to be caused by the collision of charged particles (ions (+) (-) ) found in the magnetosphere, with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere (at altitudes above 80 km). These particles travel into space with speeds of 300 to 1200 kilometers per second. A cloud of these particles is called plasma, and a stream of plasma coming from the sun is called solar wind. These charged particles are typically energized to levels between 1 and 15 keV and, as they collide with atoms of gases in the atmosphere, the atoms become excited. 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 aurora.

Answer 5

use this site to show how iron filings set themselves up around a good bar magnet... or actually DO IT with your son....

http://www.physics.brown.edu/physics/demopages/Demo/em/demo/5h1030.htm

then you can explain how the sun sends out particles in the solar wind....compare those particles with the iron filings.... note how they come 'down' at the top and bottom of the bar magnet.....now explain that the Earth acts just like a magnet and the lines of it's magnetism line up around the planet much like they do around the bar magnet.....at the top and bottom *north and south poles on earth*, they come 'down'....when the sun's particles get into the magnetic field of Earth, *the lines*, they get 'excited' and glow....producing aurora that is visible to us at night....

that's pretty simplified, but that's how I got it explained a long time ago.....

there are wonderful images and better explanations most likely, here....

http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/

Answer 6

Read the explanation from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

Answer 7

something to do with solar wind. and the earth's magnetic field. glad i could help!!!!!!!