{"id":2659,"date":"2026-03-05T00:28:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T22:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/2026\/02\/27\/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-aurora\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T05:47:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T03:47:20","slug":"the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-aurora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/2026\/03\/05\/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-aurora\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Aurora"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other than light and heat, electrically charged particles, such as electrons, are expelled from the Sun\u2019s corona, its outer layer, and race through space at high speeds in every direction. This stream of particles is called the \u201csolar wind\u201d, and it constantly reaches Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the solar wind were to hit our atmosphere directly, the wind's charged particles would collide with it and gradually strip it away\u2014just as happened to Mars billions of years ago [1]. Our protection lies in Earth\u2019s magnetic field. The field is sustained by a self-reinforcing process explained by dynamo theory: In the outer core of Earth, a molten, electrically conducting mixture of iron and nickel circulates. Heat released from the inner core drives convection, so that hotter material rises while relatively cooler material sinks. Earth\u2019s rotation deflects these flows via the Coriolis force [2]. The movement of the conducting fluid generates electric currents, and according to the laws of electromagnetism, an electric current produces a magnetic field.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earth therefore behaves like a giant magnet whose field lines loop outward and, near the poles, plunge back into the atmosphere, acting as a natural funnel for charged particles. The magnetic field carried by the solar wind changes constantly because of the Sun\u2019s rotation and coronal mass ejections [3]. When this interplanetary field is oriented opposite to Earth\u2019s field, a process called magnetic reconnection [4] occurs. Energy is then transferred into Earth\u2019s magnetosphere, accelerating electrons toward the upper atmosphere. Collisions between these electrons and atmospheric components produce the aurora (details on how the colors are produced to follow). The more powerful the solar eruptions, the stronger the aurora, allowing it to reach closer to Earth\u2019s mid-latitudes.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2662\" style=\"width: 3850px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2662\" class=\"wp-image-2662 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_.png 3840w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_-1024x786.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_-768x590.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_-1536x1180.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Structure_of_the_magnetosphere-en.svg_-2048x1573.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3840px) 100vw, 3840px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2662\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1: Schematic illustration of the solar wind (left) interacting with Earth\u2019s magnetosphere\u2014the region dominated by Earth\u2019s magnetic influence. Earth\u2019s magnetic field lines are drawn in red. Source: NASA.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the aurora poses no danger to ground-based observers because of its great height, the magnetic storms that create it can harm sensitive technologies. Rapidly changing magnetic fields induce unwanted electric currents in conductors. These currents disrupt radio communication, degrade the accuracy of satellite-based navigation systems, and in extreme cases damage power grids. The most famous example is the Quebec blackout of 1989: an intense magnetic storm overloaded the grid, prompting automatic protection systems to shut it down, leaving millions without electricity for nine hours [5].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And now for the artistic part\u2014the physics behind the colors. When energetic electrons collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they transfer energy that can push those particles to excited quantum states with higher energy than their \u201cnormal\u201d ground state. As the excited states decay to lower energies, photons of specific wavelengths, i.e., auroral colors, are emitted. Each color arises from a particular combination of altitude and atmospheric composition:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><b>\ud83d\udc9aGreen<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The most common auroral color, appearing at altitudes of roughly 100\u2013200 km. It occurs when an oxygen atom transitions from a higher to a lower excited state, emitting a green photon. The atom remains in a metastable state that would normally decay by emitting red light as well, but at these relatively dense altitudes collisions with nitrogen and oxygen molecules dissipate the excess energy as heat before the red photon can be emitted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>\u2764\ufe0fRed<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Occurs above about 200 km. The emission arises when an excited oxygen atom returns directly to its ground state and releases a red photon. At these heights the atmosphere is thin enough that the atom can radiate before colliding with another particle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>\ud83d\udc99Blue<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Appears at altitudes of roughly 100\u2013120 km. It is produced when an energetic electron strikes a nitrogen molecule and ejects one of its electrons, ionizing it. The ionized, excited molecule then emits a blue photon. Although blue and green are generated at similar heights, green is more prevalent because exciting an oxygen atom requires less energy than ionizing and exciting a nitrogen molecule\u2014the latter demands not only excitation energy but also the ionization energy needed to remove an electron.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><b>\ud83d\udc9cPurple<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Seen at lower altitudes, below 100 km, during particularly intense auroral events when very energetic particles penetrate deeper into the atmosphere. Emissions from ionized nitrogen produce blue light, while emissions from neutral nitrogen over a broader wavelength range yield pinkish hues. The combination appears purple to our eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2663\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2663\" class=\"wp-image-2663 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/aurora-electron-excitement.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/aurora-electron-excitement.webp 900w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/aurora-electron-excitement-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/aurora-electron-excitement-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2663\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2: A conceptual illustration of the reaction that creates the aurora\u2014electrons interact with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen, transferring energy that excites them. The characteristic auroral light is emitted as the particles return to lower energy states. The figure shows how different colors are emitted at different altitudes: red originates higher than green, as explained in the text. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/sun\/auroras\/\">NASA<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In summary\u2014the aurora is real-time, altitude-dependent spectroscopy!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To maximize your chances of seeing it, be near the poles, under dark, clear skies, during strong solar eruptions. In other words, don\u2019t forget to pack a dash of luck.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you\u2019ve read the guide\u2014enjoy the show, so long and thanks for all the fish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Hebrew editing: Shir Rosenblum-Man<br \/>\nEnglish editing: Elee Shimshoni<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>Sources<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasas-maven-reveals-most-of-mars-atmosphere-was-lost-to-space\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How the solar wind stripped most of Mars\u2019s atmosphere <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nesdis.noaa.gov\/about\/k-12-education\/atmosphere\/what-the-coriolis-effect\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the Coriolis effect, NOAA<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Coronal_mass_ejection\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coronal mass ejection, Wikipedia <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/4987\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explanation and simulation of magnetic reconnection, NASA<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/March_1989_geomagnetic_storm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 1989 Quebec geomagnetic storm,Wikipedia <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whiter, D. K., Partamies, N., Gustavsson, B., &amp; Kauristie, K. (2023, January). The altitude of green OI 557.7 nm and blue N<sub>2<\/sub><sup>+<\/sup> 427.8 nm aurora. In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Annales Geophysicae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 1\u201312). G\u00f6ttingen, Germany: Copernicus Publications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?hl=iw&amp;lr=&amp;id=AwFlTrgY55MC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PP9&amp;dq=Rees,+M.+H.+(1989).+Physics+and+chemistry+of+the+upper+atmosphere.+Cambridge+University+Press&amp;ots=j3dA1cLsVn&amp;sig=a7VbxU55RCqZSkqEDIdx48fYfM8#v=onepage&amp;q=Rees%2C%20M.%20H.%20(1989).%20Physics%20and%20chemistry%20of%20the%20upper%20atmosphere.%20Cambridge%20University%20Press&amp;f=false\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rees, M. H. (1989). Physics and Chemistry of the Upper Atmosphere. Cambridge University Press. Open access in English.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Other than light and heat, electrically charged particles, such as electrons, are expelled from the Sun\u2019s corona, its outer layer, and race through space at high speeds in every direction. This stream of particles is called the \u201csolar wind\u201d, and it constantly reaches Earth. If the solar wind were to hit our atmosphere directly, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":2660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-astronomy","category-physics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Aurora - Little, Big Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lbscience.org\/en\/2026\/03\/05\/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-aurora\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Aurora - Little, Big Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Other than light and heat, electrically charged particles, such as electrons, are expelled from the Sun\u2019s corona, its outer layer, and race through space at high speeds in every direction. 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