With dynamic real-time imagery of the beautiful spectacle and immersive CGI, the intricate science of the northern lights comes to life, showing how the dazzling lights in our atmosphere are produced, and what they can teach us. This epic adventure builds a vivid picture of the magic of the northern lights. And in California, he joins scientists using the aurora to probe an incredible new avenue of research: the hunt for life on alien worlds. We searched the internet for the most stunning videos of the aurora borealisĭuring his stay in the Arctic, David spends time with a First Nation community to learn about their beliefs - how the lights are the dancing souls of their ancestors. This man chases Alberta's storms in the summer and northern lights in the winter The vivid ever-changing northern lights can be seen from space At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, David meets scientist Nicky Fox who’s studying one of the most extreme aurora events ever recorded, revealing how it was caused, and its effect on the earth. He accompanies dedicated teams of aurora chasers as they hunt to reveal the cause of a newly discovered band of bright violet light that stretches across the aurora-lit night sky. What Are the Northern Lights Also known as Aurora Borealis (meaning dawn of the north), these colorful lights form when charged particles from the sun enter. He joins Emma Spanswick, from the University of Calgary, as she sets up a 360° camera network across Canada, in a mission to image the entire kaleidoscope of the aurora - from horizon to horizon. Chris Cully as he sends a balloon, equipped with sensitive instruments, into the heart of the aurora, discovering why they occur in a pulsating pattern during the night. He seeks to find out why they are normally only seen in narrow bands of the sky around the North (or South) Pole, and why solar storms can make aurora appear as far south as the Caribbean.ĭavid joins Dr. On this dazzling expedition, he uncovers how these celestial fireworks form and why they dance in a whole pallet of colours across the night sky. Now, the mysteries of the lights are being uncovered thanks to an international team of scientists.ĭavid Suzuki journies to the freezing conditions of the Northwest Territories, to meet the experts working on pioneering experiments that hope to answer the biggest mysteries about the lights. What causes the kaleidoscope of colours, patterns and shapes? Why do the northern lights sometimes appear near the equator? And could knowledge of Earth’s auroras help answer questions about life on other planets? They have dazzled people for thousands of years and intrigued scientists for centuries. The next peak will occur in 20, so opportunities to see auroras outside their normal range should be good.įor more information on auroras, check out the links on the next page.The northern lights (aurora borealis) are one of the greatest natural wonders of our world. Sunspot activity follows an 11-year cycle. There are times, though, when the lights are farther south, usually when there are a lot of sunspots. The auroras generally occur along the "auroral ovals," which center on the magnetic poles (not the geographic poles) and roughly correspond with the Arctic and Antarctic circles. (In contrast, the circuit breakers in your home will disengage when current flow exceeds 15-30 amperes at 120 volts.) These shifts and flows can be seen as the auroras "dance," moving along with the atmospheric currents that can reach 20,000,000 amperes at 50,000 volts. Purple/violet - nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitudeĪll of the magnetic and electrical forces react with one another in constantly shifting combinations. Blue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude.Red - oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude.Green - oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude.The color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck, and the altitude of the meeting. As the electrons enter the earth's upper atmosphere, they will encounter atoms of oxygen and nitrogen at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles above the earth's surface. When they reach the earth, some 40 hours after leaving the sun, they follow the lines of magnetic force generated by the earth's core and flow through the magnetosphere, a teardrop-shaped area of highly charged electrical and magnetic fields. Solar winds stream away from the sun at speeds of about 1 million miles per hour. The auroras, both surrounding the north magnetic pole (aurora borealis) and south magnetic pole (aurora australis) occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the earth's atmosphere. The aurora borealis (the Northern Lights) and the aurora australis (the Southern Lights) have always fascinated mankind, and people even travel thousands of miles just to see the brilliant light shows in the earth's atmosphere. Quinton/National Geographic/ Getty Images
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