Facts about the Aurora Borealis
- 07
Astrophysicist Syun-Ichi Akasofu developed the substorm model in 1964, explaining how energy from solar wind compresses Earth's magnetosphere before explosively releasing it as Aurora Borealis displays.
- 06
Explorers and scientists first documented the Aurora Borealis systematically during the 18th century, with Norwegian naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller providing detailed observations in 1741.
- 05
Oxygen atoms at higher altitudes produce the characteristic green light of the Aurora Borealis at wavelengths around 557.7 nanometers, while lower altitude nitrogen creates red and blue hues.
- 04
Auroral oval rings circle Earth's magnetic poles at roughly 10 degrees latitude, expanding equatorward during strong geomagnetic storms.
- 03
Geomagnetic storms rated 5 on the K-index scale can push Aurora Borealis visibility south to latitudes around 55 degrees north, occasionally reaching the northern United States.
- 02
In 1859, the Carrington Event produced an Aurora Borealis so intense that people in Cuba and Hawaii observed it despite their equatorial and tropical latitudes.
- 01
Particles from solar winds collide with oxygen and nitrogen at altitudes of 100 to 300 kilometers, creating the Aurora Borealis's characteristic green and red light displays.