What magnetic forces are responsible for the Northern Lights?”
Scientists have long known that the northern and southern lights, or aurora, are caused by solar radiation being concentrated at the magnetic poles of Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field blocks a large portion of that radiation, but the poles are more vulnerable. That is why aurora are most common near the north and south poles. Recent investigations using satellites has identified the cause of some of the flashes and brightening of aurora from time to time. The Earth’s magnetic field is described by scientists as having lines that run from one magnetic pole to the other, but the do not always take the shortest route. The solar radiation streaming from the Sun stretches them and bends them. If there is a shift in this radiation, then the magnetic field lines can disconnect and reconnect with each other, releasing energy that is observed in the aurora in what scientist are calling “substorms”. The name of the lead scientist is Angelopoulos, and his team was able to track the magn
