Wednesday, November 30, 2011


How the Aurora Borealis is formed and why it occurs in diurnal period?

Amarillys Avilés Miranda

The aurora borealis is produced by of the oscillations and disturbances of terrestrial magnetism. It is caused by the collision of energetic charge particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (Arctic and Antarctic regions). The sun, which has a lot of particles at 40,000 ⁰C and enormous pressure make the aurora effect. The light makes the particles inside of the sun to move to the surface creating the electrical current charged gas that makes a magnetic field inside. In some places strong magnetic field pushes the wave trough the surface making a band. When the band breaks, causes a solar storm. This storm travels until it arrives to the planet Earth where the aurora effect is created when the particulate collide with terrestrial magnetism. This effect makes a wonderful spectrum of colors in the sky.

Our magnetic field is originated by the liquid metal movement and it extends a lot of miles far away from Earth. It's movement is undulated through the meridian line with South and North dipole like it is shown in the figure in the left. The solar storm tries to enter the surface but the magnetic field of the Earth breaks it. At this breaking point the particles collide with different gases of the atmosphere and create the colors that we observe. The effect is frequently produce at the Earth's poles because the rays of the aurora are oriented along the line of the force of the magnetic field.

A previous study of the cathodic phenomena tries to explain the diurnal period of the aurora borealis. The author thinks that the aurora borealis: is caused by cathodic phenomena produced  in the atmosphere under the action of the Hertzian wave emanating  from  the  sun. This is because the greatest  frequency  of the aurora coincides with the greatest frequency of the sun spots in one decennial period, which seems  to  correspond  with  the  period  of  synodical  rotation  of  the  sun (regions  of maximum  activity  of  the sun). This theory explains that the diurnal period of the  phenomenon that occurs by the maximum production should correspond with the maximum  of  solar  radiation  in  a  given  point. The apparent  maximum of the aurora cannot be observed until the early hours of the evening, in accordance with experimental facts, this is because the brilliancy of daylight at the instant of the real  maximum  will  hide  the  phenomenon.

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