Aurora (disambiguation) facts for kids

An aurora is a beautiful natural light show that you can often see in the sky, especially near the Earth's North and South Poles. It looks like colorful ribbons or curtains of light dancing across the night sky.

Sometimes, the word Aurora can also refer to other things, like a Roman goddess or even a type of aircraft. But usually, when people talk about an aurora, they mean this amazing light display.

What is an Aurora?

An aurora is a stunning natural light show that happens in the sky. It's often seen in the high-latitude regions, which are areas close to the Earth's North and South Poles. These lights appear in many different colors, like green, pink, red, yellow, blue, and violet. They can look like shimmering curtains, rays, or even patches of light.

How Do Auroras Happen?

Auroras are created when tiny particles from the Sun hit the Earth's atmosphere. The Sun constantly sends out a stream of these charged particles, called the solar wind. When this solar wind reaches Earth, our planet's magnetic field acts like a shield, protecting us.

However, some of these particles get caught in the magnetic field. They are then pulled towards the magnetic poles, both in the North and the South. As these fast-moving particles enter Earth's upper atmosphere, they crash into gases like oxygen and nitrogen.

The Colors of the Lights

When the solar particles collide with the gas atoms, they excite them. This excitement makes the atoms glow, similar to how a neon sign works. The color of the light depends on which gas is hit and how high up in the atmosphere the collision happens:

• Green is the most common color and comes from oxygen atoms about 60 miles (97 km) above Earth.
• Red lights are also from oxygen, but at higher altitudes, around 200 miles (322 km) up.
• Blue or purple lights come from nitrogen atoms.

Where Can You See Auroras?

Auroras are most visible in regions known as the "auroral zones."

• In the Northern Hemisphere, the aurora is called the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights. You can often see them in places like Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
• In the Southern Hemisphere, it's called the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights. These are seen in places like Antarctica, New Zealand, and Tasmania.

The best time to see an aurora is during dark, clear nights, especially in the winter months when the nights are longer.

Aurora in Mythology

The name "Aurora" also comes from ancient Roman myths. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn. She was believed to fly across the sky each morning, announcing the arrival of the sun. This is why the natural light display is named after her, as it often appears like a new dawn in the night sky.

See also

In Spanish: Aurora para niños