EXPLANATION TEXT

NAME = PUAN GHANES (27)

KELAS = XI MIPA 4

Aurora Phenomenaa
An aurora (Latin word mean “sunrise”) is natural light display in the sky in the poles
(north and south) caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high
altitude atmosphere. In the northern latitude, the effect is known as aurora
borealis (aurora: the goddess dawn, borealis: north wind). While in the Antarctic region, the
effect is known as aurora australis. They illuminate the northern and southern horizon as
greenish glow or sometimes faint red, occasionally blue but most often in fluorescent green.
Auroras can be seen at night because their light is not as strong as the light of the day.
The aurora phenomenon occurs when the sun produces solar wind. Solar wind is a
stream of electrons and protons which are released from the sun due to the high kinetic
energy. These particles are charged and contain energy, which means they contribute to
electricity. In other way, our planet is surrounded by a super-sized magnetic sheath which is
usually called the Magnetic Field of the Earth. Sometimes this solar wind hits the Earth.
Some of these charged particles lead to the poles of the earth at a speed that keeps growing.
The collision between these particles and atoms present in the earth’s atmosphere, it releases
the energy that causes the formation of colorful auroras at the poles of the earth, which looks
like a big circle around the pole.
Why Aurora is only found in the earth’s poles? This is because the north and South
Pole magnetic field is very strong compared to other regions. The poles of this magnetic field
pull the protons and electrons from the solar wind. So the phenomenon is more common in
the Polar Regions.
However, sometimes the Aurora can also appear at the top of the mountain in a
tropical climate, but this phenomenon is extremely rare. Aurora phenomena have been
observed on other planets than Earth that have a magnetic field, such as Jupiter, Saturn and
more recently Mars. It is believed to be a widespread phenomenon in the Solar System and
beyond.