Willkommen bei Paraselene.de


ZUSATZMENÜ


MemoPad
0 Pages
Graphic: Symbol MemoPad.


Inhalt

Aurorae

Aurorae (aurora borealis/australis,  northern / southern lights) occur during geomagnetic storms of high speed particles hurled into space by the Sun. Although there is a constant stream of particles coming from the Sun (‘solar wind’), coronal mass ejections are much larger transient events which can provoke auroral storms - if they are earth-directed. The presence of large sunspots or sunspots groups makes aurorae more likely.

Normally, the Earth is well shielded by its magnetosphere, but near the poles, particles from the solar wind, principally electrons, can enter Earth’s atmosphere and follow the field lines of the magnetic field. They interact with atmospheric particles. 

Large solar particle fluxes distort the shape of the Earth’s magnetopause and the stability of the particles trapped within. In fact, the particles producing aurorae usually originate from the anti-solar direction.

During sunspot maxima, which occur roughly every 11 years, auroral activity is higher. In the north and south polar regions, aurorae can almost constantly be observed, Nevertheless they are not limited to higher latitudes.They have even been occasionally observed in Northern Africa.
Aurorae can take the shape of colourful curtains, bands, arcs, rays, diffuse veils, and coronae. In lower latitudes, aurorae are mostly red. They normally move very slowly.


Aurorae on March 31st, 3001 at Konz near Trier. Olympus C-2000 Zoom digital camera. Processed with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Grafik: URL dieser Seite.
Permanent link:






nach oben


Menü