Name: Waleed Agha Mohammad
SID: S24109045
Course: PHYS113L
Instructor: Dr Amani Gandour
Project Title: The Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis
Date of Submission: 12th of April 2025
Introduction and Physical Concept
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Description of the aurora borealis with electricity and magnetism.
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Name: Waleed Agha Mohammad SID: S Course: PHYS113L Instructor: Dr Amani Gandour Project Title: The Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis Date of Submission: 12th^ of April 2025 Introduction and Physical Concept
The aurora or aurora borealis (also known as northern lights or southern lights) is a natural phenomenon that appears on earth in the form of multi-colored lights taking the shape of curtains, ribbons, and threads. This natural phenomenon is usually observed near the southernmost and northernmost regions of earth near the Arctic and Antarctic, and because of the proximity of its appearances near the earth’s poles, it is also known as the polar lights. When the polar lights appear in the earth’s northern region, it is known as the aurora borealis. On the other hand, it is known as the aurora australis when appearing in the southern pole of the earth. The aurora results when high energy particles emitted from the sun’s surface collide with the particles on the earth’s surface, creating lights with a range of different shapes and colors. In this paper, we will explain the science and physics behind the creation of an aurora. The process behind the creation of an aurora The sun has an outermost region known as the corona that is composed of vibrating hydrogen and helium particles. Because of the relatively high heat of the Sun’s corona, the energetic hydrogen and helium atoms vibrate until they release electrons and protons from their surface. These protons and electrons contain high levels of energy and thus travel away from the sun’s
However, this solar wind, or plasmic gas from the sun, is not completely redirected away from the earth. The solar wind from the sun is actually redirected towards the poles of the earth by the earth’s magnetic field, the locations where the aurora borealis (northern lights) and the aurora australis (southern lights) are observed. When the solar wind is redirected towards the earth’s northern and southern regions, they collide with oxygen particles, nitrogen particles, and other gas particles in the earth’s atmosphere. The solar wind and the plasmic gases from the sun contain high levels of energy and when they collide with the gas particles in the earth’s atmosphere, they cause the particles to get excited. Particle excitation refers to when the particles gain energy causing the electrons to jump into higher energy levels. When the electrons eventually “drop back” to their normal energy levels, the particles emit energy in the form of lights or photons. Different types of atoms and particles emit different photons or wavelengths of light when they “drop back” from their excited state. For example, oxygen atoms emit the red and green colors in the aurora, while nitrogen atoms emit the blue and dark red hue in the aurora. Conclusion In conclusion, the aurora, or northern lights, is a natural phenomenon that results from the total interaction of the sun’s solar winds, earth’s magnetic field, and the earth’s atmosphere. The aurora is always present in the arctic and Antarctic. However, since the aurora lights are dimmer than the sun’s light, the northern and southern lights are much more visible during the nighttime.
References Dobrijevic, D., & Waldek, S. (2024, November 21). Northern lights (aurora borealis): what they are and how to see them. Space.com. https://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras- earth-facts-sdcmp.html TED-Ed. (2013, July 3). What is an aurora? - Michael Molina [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czMh3BnHFHQ What causes the Northern Lights? Aurora borealis explained. (n.d.). Royal Museums Greenwich. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-causes-northern-lights-aurora-borealis-explained Hall, C., Pederson, D., & Bryson, G. (2001a). Northern lights: The science, myth, and wonder of Aurora Borealis. Sasquatch Books.