Aurora Polar Summary

Aurora polaris is a phenomenon in the form of brightness that occurs in the night sky,
generally in polar areas, although it can appear in other areas of the world for short
periods. In the southern hemisphere it is known as the southern aurora and in the northern
hemisphere as the northern lights.

Why does a polar aurora form?

The northern and southern auroras are the result of interactions between the Sun and
Earth. The Sun atmosphere is the crown, It is a gas in the plasma state with electrically
charged particles. When the solar corona moves and moves away from the Sun, the so
called solar wind is produced, which contains a large number of electrons and protons.
The reason auroras occur more frequently near the poles is because the Earth's magnetic
field is weaker right there. The charged particles of the solar wind move along the lines of
force of the magnetosphere, but when colliding with the particles of gas, lights are
produced that are perceived in various shapes and colors, and which man has baptized as
polar auroras.
Auroras on other planets
This phenomenon also exists on other planets in the solar system, which have similar
behaviors to planet Earth. Such is the case of Jupiter and Saturn, which have stronger
magnetic fields than Earth. Uranus and Neptune also have magnetic fields, and both have
wide radiation belts. The auroras have been observed on both planets with the Hubble
telescope.
The colors and shapes of the auroras

The auroras have very diverse shapes, structures and colors that also change rapidly over
time. During a night, the aurora can start as a very long isolated arc that spreads over the
horizon, generally in an east-west direction.

Suddenly the entire sky can be filled with bands, spirals, and rays of light that tremble and
move rapidly across the horizon. Its activity can last from a few minutes to hours. As dawn
approaches the whole process seems to calm down and only a few small areas of the sky
appear bright until morning. Although what is described is a typical night of auroras, we
can find multiple variations on the same theme.