The Northern Lights

The polar auroras are generally visible in the polar regions. These colourful veils in the sky are the result of solar activity.  VIDEOGRAPHIC

Transcript

00:00Polar auroras are generally visible in the polar regions.

00:10They are called the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights in the Northern Hemisphere

00:14and the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere.

00:18These colourful veils in the sky are the result of solar activity.

00:22Streams of gaseous matter, known as plasma, are regularly ejected from the Sun.

00:26These solar storms, also called electromagnetic storms,

00:30are accompanied by powerful electromagnetic radiation,

00:34notably charged particles such as electrons and protons.

00:38The shape of the Earth's magnetic field guides the majority of these particles

00:42towards the North and South Poles.

00:46These particles collide with the gases in the Earth's atmosphere,

00:50which generate flashes of light and make colours appear in the sky.

00:54Green and red in the case of oxygen and blue and violet for nitrogen.

00:58The stronger the solar storm, the more visible are the auroras at the poles.

01:02The electromagnetic storms can also disrupt human activities,

01:06notably telecommunications and electricity networks.