To see one aurora borealis or austral It is the dream of many people. There are those who travel to the terrestrial poles only with the aim of witnessing them and see how the date of their return ticket approaches without having managed to hunt them. It is what nature has. Seeing auroras is not like going to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. They are not something fixed, since they depend on the solar activity, which follows certain cycles, but cannot be predicted in the long term. But yes, a few days in advance. For this reason, we now know that from tonight and for a few days the auroras will be visible in their usual places, but also in others much further south or north.
This is due to the effects of a solar storm that started on january 14. The consequences on Earth, in principle, will not go beyond the beautiful spectacle of the auroras. It doesn’t look like it’s going to disrupt telecommunications or anything like that.
Therefore, it only remains to enjoy the sky. If we are in one of the privileged places, it will be a great reason to undertake a night excursion. If not, surely in the next few days we will have social networks full of images to delight us It’s not the same as seeing a Northern Lights in person; but, if there is no time to buy tickets, we will have to settle.
How is a northern or austral lights formed?
Before talking about auroras, it is important to remember some important concepts about solar activity.
For starters, the solar flares They are sudden releases of electromagnetic radiation that occur in a layer of the Sun known as the chromosphere. They can occur at any point, but more often they occur in patches with much more activity, known as sunspots.
As a result of solar flares, another phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection, consisting of an abrupt release of plasma. This refers to a fourth state of matter, beyond solid, liquid and gas, in which the elements that make up our star are found. All these processes are the prelude to what is known as solar storm.
Now, if this expulsion of matter and energy reached Earth, it could cause damage to satellites and electrical systems. However, this rarely happens, thanks to the fact that our planet is wrapped in a kind of protective bubble, known as magnetosphere.
Said shield obeys the magnetic field originated by the Earth’s core and is formed by invisible lines that start from the poles of our planet, acting like a magnet. So when plasma and radiation from solar flares hit the shield, they are automatically deflected towards the poles. Once there, they excite the particles present in the atmosphere, giving rise to the emission of those luminous flares that we know as auroras. If it happens in the north pole we will be before a Northern Lights and, if it happens in the south, a aurora australis
Different colors
As for the colors of the auroras, they are due to the composition of the atmosphere where they originate. If mostly carbon atoms are excited oxygentones will predominate green and yellow. On the other hand, if we have one more Northern Lights reddish or bluishit will be because in the atmosphere there is more nitrogen.
In short, no two auroras are the same and that is what makes them a magnificent spectacle.
This time they will happen in rare places
The auroras that are to come are due to the sun flare occurred around the stain AR3182. This has generated an explosion of radiation and matter that has gone directly towards the Earth’s magnetosphere, at a point where it is expected that a great auroral activity.
In fact, according to the predictions of scientists, they will be seen in unusual places. For example, in Europe you might see some aurora borealis as far south as Northern England or Denmark. In the United States you may see some in Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland, and Boston. It is something very rare. As it will also be to see aurora australis in places like Tasmania or the South Island of New Zealand. They usually occur much further south.
These are the predictions, although we will have to wait to see what actually happens. Be that as it may, it seems that a great show is coming.