Scientists expose mystery behind northern lights by Radka Konkolova

Nature is something very special, beautiful but also something very strong, vague and severe. It can cause many damages and catastrophes for people and their dwellings and the whole property. But when it is calm, it is very silent and you can visit the forest in order to get new energy and relax. Nature can also create some very interesting things people can’t sometimes explain. I think this is the most beautiful about it. Its secrets, deepness and freshness but also its strength makes it something more than a man is.

To the most beautiful and interesting phenomenon the polar lights belong. I think it was the mystery for people for more than decades. It is little bit clear now, but it is still bit of surprise when it comes to the sky immediately. It is lightning phenomenon emergent only behind the polar circle. It comes up when elements of sun winter enter the Earth atmosphere. Atoms, electrons, protons or heavy ions go through excited conditions and then they secrete some light (photons). This causes the beautiful colourful lights on the sky of poles.

There are two types of polar lights. First one is named Aurora borealis and this one can be seen only behind the northern polar circle. The second one, which is called Aurora australis, occurs in surrounding of southern polar circle. They are most visible in these very parts of the world, because there are also magnetic poles of Earth, so elements of sun winter are magnetised the most there. It is possible for you to see this phenomenon even in the surrounding of the equator, but it is very unusual. Another interesting thing is that these lights occur together. So when there is Aurora borealis on the North, it is certain that there is also Aurora australis on the South in the same time.

But not only Earth can be proud of this phenomenon because also on other planets of our galaxy, which have got their own magnetic fields, this “performance” takes place.

The polar lights can be seen in intervals of twelve years while it depends on the activity of Sun. And the cycle of the activity lasts for about this time. When there is very strong Sun activity, lights can be occurred also in lower latitude, especially in Central Europe. The colour and spectrum of lights depends on the chemical elements. It can be red, when it comes from oxygen atoms from the height of more than 200 km, else it is green. In the height of 100 to 200 km when the element is nitrogen, the colour of lights is blue, else it is carmine.

In the past, our ancestors believed that it is prognostic of some catastrophe as plague, wars or deaths. There were many legends and myths because every nation thought it was sign of something connected with their gods, dead souls or “higher powers”.

But this amazing thing can be also dangerous for our planet. Because there are many discharges during these geomagnetic storms, which are not as common but more powerful, and this can cause knocking out satellites, harming astronauts in orbit and disrupting power and communications on Earth. So the scientists want to detect something more about this phenomenon, which should help them to allocate the distance of these storms from the Earth and how to avoid disrupting of powers and communications. And they hope they will learn more about the bigger polar storms that occur about 10 times a year and can lead to far more expansive and prolonged northern and southern lights.

The five Themis spacecraft were launched aboard a single rocket last year. So scientists want to do their research from the universe, because there they can see previous behaviour of the sun winter and detect what is happening at that time aloft.

I think this research can be helpful and useful for scientists, producers of some materials for astronauts and of telecommunication connections. But in my opinion it must be very interesting and exciting project at first.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080724/ap_on_sc/sci_northern_lights;_ylt=AkFWGvW17g7fK9KfuER_OrKs0NUE

by Radka Konkolova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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posted by Lucia Adamova