Asked by: Roselia Untereiner
travel polar travel

Are Auroras dangerous?

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The Northern Lights occur so high up in the atmospherethat they don't pose any threat to people watching them from theground. The aurora itself is not harmful to humansbut the electrically charged particles produced could have somepotentially negative effects to infrastructure andtechnology.


Also question is, are Auroras radioactive?

So the Northern Lights you see emit no radiation,but are themselves electromagnetic radiation emitted bycollision between highly energetic solar particles and ouratmosphere.”

Also Know, are the Northern Lights Real? Polar lights (aurora polaris) are a naturalphenomenon found in both the northern and southernhemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring. Northern lightsare also called by their scientific name, aurora borealis,and southern lights are called auroraaustralis.

Furthermore, what are the effects of the Northern Lights?

Bottom line: When charged particles from the sun strikeatoms in Earth's atmosphere, they cause electrons in the atoms tomove to a higher-energy state. When the electrons drop back to alower energy state, they release a photon: light. Thisprocess creates the beautiful aurora, or northernlights.

How hot is the aurora borealis?

These particles are called the solar wind and cause thenorthern lights. The sun's surface temperature isapproximately 6,000°C, much cooler than the interior which isseveral million degrees.

Related Question Answers

Mariana Ehrenzweig

Professional

How long do the Northern Lights last?

The Northern Lights most commonly appear between5:00 pm and 2:00 am. They don't usually exhibit for long– they may only show for a few minutes, then glide awaybefore returning. A good display may last for no longer than15-30 minutes at a time, although if you're really lucky, theycould last for a few hours.

Magina Friedland

Professional

What does the aurora borealis look like?

When you see them in real life, the NorthernLights aren't actually very colorful at all. They often appearmilky white in color, "almost like a cloud," as one seasonedtraveler puts it. He says he often sees them as mostly white, withfaint hints of red and pink.

Irimia Nedjar

Professional

When can you see the Northern Lights in Scandinavia?

Northern Lights season inNorway
November through March is the absolute peak season forNorthern Lights viewing because the nights are longest, buta visit anytime between September and March should giveyou a good chance to see them, with March offeringthe best chance of clear skies.

Ghada Arasanz

Explainer

Why are there northern lights in Alaska?

The bright dancing lights of theaurora are actually collisions between electrically chargedparticles from the sun that enter the earth'satmosphere. The lights are seen above the magneticpoles of the northern and southern hemispheres.

Yasmina Magebeer

Explainer

Where in the US can you see the Northern Lights?

Where to go see the Northern Lights
  • Puget Sound, Washington.
  • Glacier National Park, Montana.
  • Headlands Dark Sky Park, Michigan.
  • Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin.
  • Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota.
  • Baxter State Park, Maine.

Tomoko Orlova

Explainer

How often do Aurora Borealis occur?

"Active periods are typically about 30 minutes long, andoccur every two hours, if the activity is high. Theaurora is a sporadic phenomenon, occurring randomlyfor short periods or perhaps not at all." And you can have anaurora experience without even leaving your house if you sochoose.

Diocelina Ligeira

Pundit

Why is it called aurora borealis?

In northern latitudes, the effect is known as theaurora borealis or the northern lights. The formerterm was coined by Galileo in 1619, from the Roman goddess of thedawn and the Greek name for the north wind. The aurora canbe seen best at this time, which is called magneticmidnight.

Glinda Reinschmidt

Pundit

Why is Aurora Borealis important?

The aurora borealis – otherwise known asthe northern lights – is a vivid demonstration of theEarth's magnetic field interacting with charged particles from thesun. It's also beautiful, and worth braving a cold night out whenvisiting the high northern (or southern) latitudes.

Yakhya Pietschmann

Pundit

Where is the best place in the world to see the northern lights?

Northern Lights, Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks sits in the auroral oval, a ring-shapedarea around the North Pole, and it's one of the bestplaces in the world to see thelights.

Jimy Moshnyakov

Pundit

Do other planets have aurora borealis?

They can be seen on other planets in our solarsystem too. Space scientists at NASA have been able toconfirm that some of our closest neighbouring planets suchas Jupiter and Saturn have their own auroras. Theseauroras are slightly different from Earth's, becausetheir atmospheres and poles are different.

Riduan Vizcarro

Pundit

Why are northern lights only in the North?

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, arecaused by charged gas particles - that flow away from the Sun as a"solar wind" - interacting with the Earth's magnetic field. Thissolar wind has its own magnetic field, which can "drag away" theEarth's magnetic field lines, disconnecting them from ourplanet.

Charalampos Pinadero

Teacher

Do the northern lights make noise?

“The sounds do not occur regularly when thenorthern lights are seen. The recorded, unamplified soundscan be similar to crackles or muffled bangs, which last for only ashort period of time. Other people who have heard the auroralsounds have described them as distant noise andsputter.

Sacramento Milla

Teacher

What color are the Northern Lights?

The colors most often associated with theaurora borealis are pink, green, yellow, blue, violet, andoccasionally orange and white. Typically, when the particlescollide with oxygen, yellow and green are produced. Interactionswith nitrogen produce red, violet, and occasionally bluecolors.

Vitalijs Teeuwen

Teacher

Why are auroras seen only in polar regions?

With this deflection, the electrons move around theplanet and hit near the polar regions where the magneticfield is weakest. That's how the daytime auroras occur, whenelectrons hit the sun-facing magnetic field and are deflected tothe poles. But the solar wind doesn't stop when it first encountersthe planet.

Angelina Meirose

Teacher

Are there Southern Lights?

Yes, there are southern lights. The auroraaustralis occurs around the southern magnetic pole, much asthe aurora borealis (northern lights) occurs around thenorthern magnetic pole.

Amarouch Wise

Reviewer

Where do auroras occur in the atmosphere?

The aurora (Northern Lights and Southern Lights) mostlyoccur in the thermosphere. The thermosphere is a layer ofEarth's atmosphere. The thermosphere is directly above themesosphere and below the exosphere.

Shaojun Pellicena

Reviewer

What are the Northern Lights Wikipedia?

An aurora, also called polar light, northernlight or southern light, is a natural light display in the sky.They are usually seen in the high latitudes (Arctic and Antarctic)regions. Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere isdisturbed by the solar wind.

Demetri Serak

Reviewer

Who found the Northern Lights?

Pierre Gassendi

Bully Kromschroder

Reviewer

Do northern lights flash?

Auroras happen when charged particles from the sun hitEarth's magnetic field at altitudes of a few thousand miles. TheNorthern Lights don't always create curtains of color.Sometimes they flash like strobe lights.

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EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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12th April, 2020

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