Auroras are caused by the collision of charged particles in the magnetosphere with atoms in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
These charged particles are energized to levels between 1,000 and 15,000 electron-volts and as they collide with atoms of gases in the atmosphere the atoms become energized, then emit their energy as light.
For those of us that will likely never be fortunate enough to see the Aurora Borealis in person, here is a time lapse video of one of the most extraordinary sites in nature. Wikipedia also has a fantastic entry for Auroras.
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It really doesn’t do it justice to show them in increased speed. They can move really fast, and for my part, seeing them jump around at high speeds that’s the point when I mutter “wow” when I’m looking at them :-)
good blog dude i love the aurora