Stunning Aurora Substorm Captured by Stargazers
Many planets, including Earth, possess a magnetosphere—an immense magnetic field generated by the movement of molten metal deep within their cores. This natural shield protects our planet from charged particles streaming through space by absorbing their energy upon impact.
When particular areas of Earth's magnetosphere accumulate excess energy, a geomagnetic storm can occur. Much like thunderclouds heralding a storm, these energetic buildups release powerful currents that travel along the planet’s magnetic field lines toward the atmosphere, creating brilliant light displays.
During geomagnetic storms, accumulated energy flows down Earth's magnetic field lines and precipitates into the atmosphere like a heavy downpour.
These particle showers inject massive electric currents into the upper atmosphere, illuminating the skies far beyond polar regions. Intense solar activity can amplify these effects when the Sun expels bursts of plasma known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—vast clouds of solar material hurtling through space.
These massive ejections of solar material are called coronal mass ejections or CMEs, which appear as huge flying blobs traveling through space.
The captivating colors of auroras depend on which atmospheric gases interact with these energetic particles. Oxygen at altitudes between 100 and 200 kilometers produces vibrant green lights, while nitrogen emits blue hues in the same range and reddish-pink glows at lower altitudes.
- Green auroras arise from oxygen at 100–200 km altitude.
- Blue auroras appear when nitrogen is excited within the same range.
- Reddish-purple or pink tones occur when nitrogen interacts below 100 km.
Author’s Summary
A breathtaking aurora substorm forms when energetic solar particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere, revealing luminous colors shaped by magnetic storms and solar ejections.
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