00:00Have you ever dreamed of seeing the sky dance with vibrant, shimmering lights?
00:14That incredible natural wonder is the aurora, and today, we're going on a journey to uncover all its secrets.
00:21From the vastness of space to our own atmosphere, we'll find out exactly how these celestial ballets are born.
00:28So, get comfortable, and let's head to the poles. It all begins with our star, the sun.
00:35The sun is constantly sending out a stream of charged particles across the solar system, a phenomenon we call the solar wind.
00:43Think of it as a constant cosmic breeze.
00:46But sometimes, the sun gets a little more energetic.
00:51During events, like solar storms or coronal mass ejections, it unleashes a massive, super-fast burst of these particles, hurtling them through space.
01:02And some of them head straight for Earth.
01:05Now, you might be thinking, a storm of particles from the sun. That sounds dangerous.
01:13And it would be, if not for Earth's amazing defense system, our magnetosphere.
01:20This is a giant magnetic bubble surrounding our planet, created by the molten iron core deep within.
01:30It acts like a shield, deflecting the vast majority of the solar wind away from us.
01:36We owe our very existence to this invisible force field.
01:40Without it, the solar wind would have stripped away our atmosphere billions of years ago.
01:45But this shield isn't perfect!
01:48While most particles are deflected, some get trapped by the magnetic field lines.
01:53Imagine the Earth as a giant bar magnet with a north and a south pole.
01:59The magnetic field lines loop out from the south pole and curve back into the north pole.
02:05The trapped solar particles are forced to spiral along these magnetic highways.
02:10And they get funneled down towards the Earth's polar regions.
02:14This is why auroras are almost exclusively seen near the north and south poles.
02:20They are a direct visual representation of our planet's magnetic field in action.
02:25So, we have these energetic particles from the sun, guided by magnetism, racing towards the poles.
02:35What happens next is where the real magic begins.
02:39As they plunge into the upper layers of our atmosphere, they start a cosmic game of pinball.
02:45Our atmosphere, especially at high altitudes, is made up of different gases, primarily nitrogen and oxygen.
02:55The incoming solar particles, traveling at incredible speeds, slam into these gas atoms and molecules.
03:01This collision isn't destructive.
03:03It's an energy transfer.
03:04When a solar particle hits an oxygen or nitrogen atom, it transfers some of its energy to that atom,
03:13knocking its electrons into a higher, more energetic state.
03:17We call this an excited state.
03:20But atoms don't like to stay excited for long.
03:24It's an unstable condition to return to their normal, relaxed state.
03:30They have to release that extra energy.
03:33And they do this by emitting a tiny particle of light called a photon.
03:38Now, imagine this happening not just with one atom, but with billions upon billions of them all at once.
03:46Each collision, each excited atom, and each released photon contributes to a massive collective glow.
03:54This is the aura! It's not a reflection! And it's not light from the sun!
03:59It's light, being created right there, in our own upper atmosphere.
04:05A breathtaking display powered by the sun, and shaped by the earth.
04:10It's like our planet has its very own set of neon signs, switched on by a solar storm.
04:18One of the most captivating things about the aurora is its stunning array of colors!
04:23You might see ethereal greens, deep reds, and sometimes even hints of blue or violet!
04:29Why the variety?
04:31It all comes down to two key factors.
04:33Which gas is being hit, and how high up in the atmosphere the collision is happening.
04:39The most common color you'll see in an aurora is a brilliant glowing green.
04:45This light is produced when solar particles collide with oxygen atoms at lower altitudes, around 100 to 200 kilometers, or about 60 to 120 miles above the ground.
05:00Our eyes are very sensitive to this shade of green, which is why it often appears as the brightest and most dominant color in a display.
05:09But if you look higher up in the sky, especially during a very strong aurora, you might see a beautiful, deep red glow.
05:17This is also caused by oxygen, but these collisions are happening at much higher altitudes, above 200 kilometers.
05:26Up there, the atmosphere is much thinner.
05:30The oxygen atoms have more time to release their energy, and when they do, they emit red photons!
05:37Because it's higher up, and the light is fainter!
05:40Red is often only visible during periods of intense solar activity.
05:45So what about the blues and purples?
05:48These rarer colors come from nitrogen!
05:51When solar particles strike nitrogen molecules, they can emit blue light!
05:56If the particles hit nitrogen at even lower altitudes, they can create a purplish or pinkish-violet fringe, often seen at the bottom edge of the main auroral curtain.
06:06So, when you look at a multicolored aurora, you're essentially seeing a beautiful, layered map of our atmosphere's composition, painted by the solar wind!
06:17So, where on Earth do you need to go to witness this spectacular light show?
06:24As we've learned, the aurora is concentrated in ovals around the Earth's magnetic poles.
06:29In the northern hemisphere, this phenomenon is famously known as the aurora borealis, or the northern lights.
06:38The prime viewing locations are in a region called the auroral zone!
06:43This includes places like Alaska in the United States, large parts of Canada, especially the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, Greenland, Iceland, and the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, an area often called Lapland.
07:01Northern Russia also offers incredible views!
07:05If you want to see the northern lights, these are your go-to destinations!
07:09Down in the southern hemisphere, the aurora has a different name!
07:13The aurora Australis, or the southern lights?
07:16Because its auroral zone is scented over Antarctica, it's much hotter for most people to see!
07:24The best chances for viewing it from populated land are in the southern parts of Australia, particularly the island of Tasmania, and in New Zealand, especially on the South Island.
07:34During extremely powerful solar storms, the auroral ovals can expand, and the lights have been seen from much lower latitudes, but these are very rare events!
07:46Now, for the crucial question, when is the best time to see an aurora?
07:52It's a combination of cosmic timing and earthly conditions!
07:56First, it's all tied to the sun's activity, which follows a roughly 11-year cycle.
08:02This cycle has a peak, called the solar maximum, when the sun is most active, with more sunspots and solar storms!
08:13Naturally, your chances of seeing a brilliant aurora are highest during and around the solar maximum.
08:20We are currently approaching one now, so the next few years should be fantastic for aurora chasing!
08:26On a shorter timescale, the best time to see the aurora is, of course, at night!
08:32You need a dark sky!
08:34The lights are there during the day, but they are far too faint to be seen against the brightness of the sun!
08:41This is why the winter months are ideal for aurora hunting in the Pola region!
08:49The nights are long, giving you a much larger window of opportunity!
08:53Interestingly, the periods around the spring and autumn equinoxes in March and September often see a spike in auroral activity!
09:03Scientists believe this is due to the way Earth's magnetic field is tilted relative to the solar wind at these times of the year!
09:11Allowing more particles to get through!
09:14Finally, you need the right local conditions!
09:18The number one enemy of the aurora chaser is clouds!
09:22You need a clear cloudless sky!
09:25You also want to get as far away from city lights as possible!
09:31Light pollution can wash out the fainter details of the aurora!
09:36So heading out into the countryside or a designated dark sky park is your best bet for an unforgettable experience!
09:43So, to recap this cosmic journey, the sun sends out charged particles in the solar wind!
09:51Earth's magnetic field funnels these particles towards the poles!
09:55They collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in our atmosphere, causing them to glow!
10:01This creates the beautiful dancing lights we call the aurora!
10:05The color depends on the gas and the altitude of a collision!
10:09You can see them in the far north as the aurora borealis and in the far south as the aurora australias!
10:16Your best chance is on a clear dark night during a period of high solar activity!
10:23Seeing the aurora is truly a bucket list experience!
10:27It s, a powerful reminder of our planet!
10:30S, connection to the wider cosmos and the invisible forces that protect and shape our world!
10:37I hope this has inspired you to one day see it for yourself!
10:42Thank you so much for joining me on this exploration of the aurora!
10:47If you enjoyed this video and learned something new, please give it a thumbs up!
10:51And do you and forget to subscribe and hit that notification bell so you won't miss our next adventure!
10:58Until next time, keep looking up!
