The solar engine
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Earth's magnetic shield
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The atmospheric neon sign
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Global legends and sister lights
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Why the northern lights happen
artiteacher The Atmospheric Neon Sign
When the solar wind collides up high, Gases glow like neon in the sky.
artiteacher Oxygen atoms produce the most common green auroras and rarer high-altitude red auroras.
artiteacher The glow of the northern lights works on the exact same principle as a neon sign.
Cosmic neon: The northern lights are essentially a massive, planet-sized neon sign powered by the Sun.
The transition of a physical system to a state of higher energy. In the thermosphere, solar particles cause oxygen excitation, creating the green glow seen above polar circles.
What everyday human invention glows using the exact same scientific principle as the auroras?
What physical process causes the gases in Earth's atmosphere to glow during an aurora?
What color is produced when solar particles collide with oxygen at very high altitudes above 250 kilometers?
Which gas produces blue and purple colors at lower altitudes during intense auroras?