Andrew's+Project_Aurora+Borealis

=Aurora Borealis=

media type="file" key="Ionize the Sky.swf" width="360" height="270"

The Aurora Borealis is a beautiful display of light in the atmosphere after solar wind strikes the Earth. However, it is also a mixture of gasses like nitrogen and oxygen, including balanced atoms and ionized atoms.

Solar wind is caused when a magnetic field on the sun is twisted and then unfolded. This releases a large amount of energy in the form of negativly charged electrons. These electrons hit the Earth's magnetic field and are deflefcted to the poles of Earth. The electrons collide with the atoms and ionize them. This is what causes the colors in the atmosphere.

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of 78% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen. These are the main particles that are hit by the electrons.

From the game above, try to hypothesis what factors affect the 4 different colors in the Aurora Borealis.

Key: Oxygen atoms that are lower than 150 miles above sea level create green. Oxygen atoms that are higher than than 150 miles above sea level create red. Nitrogen atoms that are lower than 60 miles above sea level create blue. Nitrogen atoms that are higher than 60 miles above sea level create violet.

