What is the primary cause of the aurora borealis?
Solar wind - Many factors combine to create these photogenic atmospheric disturbances, and the mechanics of the northern lights are still not fully understood. But scientists agree that solar winds—big pulses of energy from our sun—can interfere with the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions. The result is a ghostly light show in the sky—like the one in our photo today, captured in Norway.
What is the aurora at the South Pole called?
Aurora australis - Auroras are more active and easily visible near the Earth’s poles. So just as the northern reaches of our planet are great places for spotting the phenomena, you can head to the extreme south of the planet for similar shows.
Which of these planets (jupiter or Saturn) also have observable auroras?
Both are correct - That’s right, the Earth isn’t the only planet with a polar light show. Some of the same factors that produce our terrestrial lights create a similar atmospheric effect on Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. The Cassini satellite captured some stunning photos of the auroras on Saturn. And the Hubble telescope filmed Jupiter’s lights.
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