How do auroras happen?
Dear Writer, A question that goes to the heart of the topic I’d say. In brief, aurora are caused by the interactions of solar particles and the Earth’s magnetosphere, its magnetic shield. The particles may have their source as part of the solar wind that blows away from the Sun and into space or more commonly, be from a solar storm that blastted out from the Sun. When these particles reach Earth in two to four days, they interact with and excite charged particles trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field 60 to 600 miles above the Earth. Energy is transferred and the paricles begin to glow different colors. This is a short version fo all that takes place, but a good overview I hope. It has taken science hundreds of years to figure this all out and the details are still being studied carefully.
