The Northern Lights
The northern lights, also known as aurora, are a natural phenomenon found in high latitude regions. These brilliant lights create dynamic patterns in the sky. They may appear as spirals, curtains, or dynamic flickers. Depending on the location, these spectacular lights can be beautiful to watch. Here are some of the common ways you can view the northern lights.
Aurora borealis
The aurora borealis is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the winter months. It is a display of light in the sky that can be observed by the public. Its brightness and intensity is dependent on the strength of the solar wind. Strong solar winds cause auroral activity because charged particles from the sun's atmosphere move into the Earth's atmosphere and react with nitrogen and oxygen atoms. This results in greater auroral activity, which makes the aurora more visible over large areas of Earth's surface.
The sun's magnetic field and solar activity create the perfect environment for the aurora to appear. During the period of high sunspot activity, the intensity of the aurora is greatly increased. The aurora can appear on the surface of the Earth as greenish-blue swirling rivers of light. The phenomenon is often barely visible, but can become extremely vibrant during certain times of the year.
Alfven waves
Scientists believe that Alfven waves are responsible for accelerated auroral electrons. These particles originate from the Sun and can travel at nearly 45 million miles per second. Alfven waves are produced when lines in the earth's magnetic field are stretched by solar winds. These waves then travel towards Earth and pick up electrons.
Scientists say that the acceleration of electrons by Alfven waves is a result of these energetic particles traveling through a plasma. Plasmas are ionized charged particles and contain electric and magnetic fields. In 1942, Hannes Alfven predicted that plasmas were capable of supporting waves. Since plasmas are accelerated by electrons, they "surf" on the electrical field of the wave. This process is known as Landau damping and explains why scientists believe the northern lights are caused by Alfven waves.
While the exact mechanism for Alfven waves is not understood, satellite data have shown that they play a role in electron precipitation. This process is responsible for the dazzling display of the auroras.
Magnetic substorms
One of the oldest unsolved mysteries of physics is the nature of magnetic substorms. These storms occur in regions far from the Earth, such as the magnetotail. Researchers are now using supercomputers to study the phenomena. These supercomputers can simulate the behavior of substorms in extreme environments.
Magnetic substorms occur when charged particles from the sun's solar wind collide with Earth's magnetic field, creating aurora borealis. Researchers hope to learn more about these storms and how to predict them in advance. By understanding how these storms occur, they may be able to better prepare and even predict major space weather events.
Researchers have been studying magnetic substorms for years. They are unusual in that they appear suddenly, and their onset is not accounted for by earlier models. However, they are triggered by a combination of events that occur both on the Earth's surface and in the magnetotail.
Temperature above the surface of the sun
The Northern Lights are visible from space, and scientists have found a link between solar activity and the auroras. The number of sunspots, which are dark spots on the surface of the Sun caused by high magnetic activity, correlates directly with the presence of auroras. Larger numbers of sunspots mean higher levels of solar activity, which in turn results in more Northern Lights activity on Earth. Scientists have been tracking solar activity for over two centuries and believe that the current cycle is nearing its peak, which is expected to be mid-2013.
The intensity of the Northern Lights depends on the size of solar flares, which are huge explosions on the surface of the sun. These flares occur near sunspots, which are dark because they are cooler than the surrounding area. Some sunspots are enormous, measuring as much as 62,000km across.
Best time to see the northern lights
There's no single best time to see the northern lights, though there are certain months when you are more likely to catch them. In general, the best months to see the northern lights are January through March. However, you can see them anytime between September and April. This is because the aurora is seasonal, and the sun's behavior affects its intensity.
The best time to see the northern lights is from 17:00 PM to 02:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on a clear night. However, you should be aware that the Northern Lights don't typically last very long - you may only see them for a few minutes at a time, but if you're lucky, they could last up to two hours! The best time to see the Northern Lights is when the sky is clear and the temperature is below freezing.
