Ancient Greek poets used the corresponding name Eos metaphorically to refer to dawn, often mentioning its play of colors across the otherwise dark sky (e.g., "rosy-fingered dawn"). The word aurora is derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, who travelled from east to west announcing the coming of the sun. The term aurora borealis was coined by Galileo in 1619, from the Roman Aurora, goddess of the dawn and the Greek name for the north wind ( Boreas). Most of the planets in the Solar System, some natural satellites, brown dwarfs, and even comets also host auroras. The form of the aurora, occurring within bands around both polar regions, is also dependent on the amount of acceleration imparted to the precipitating particles. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying colour and complexity. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere ( thermosphere/ exosphere). These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. Major disturbances result from enhancements in the speed of the solar wind from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. Īuroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. aurorae or auroras), Īlso commonly known as the northern lights ( aurora borealis) or southern lights ( aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Images of auroras from across the world, including those with rarer red and blue lights Aurora australis seen from the ISS, 2017 Īn aurora ( pl.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |