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What are the northern lights caused by?
What causes the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding.
What are the northern lights in simple terms?
The northern lights (called the aurora borealis) and the southern lights (aurora australis) appear when tiny particles stream out from the Sun and hit Earth’s atmosphere. The particles give some of their energy to atoms and molecules of gases in the upper atmosphere. But the atoms and molecules cannot hold the energy.
Do the Northern Lights make noise?
The magnetic storm that is the cause of auroral lights triggers and releases these discharges in the inversion layer, producing audible sounds, he said.
How many days a year can you see the Northern Lights?
They are visible from late August to early April anytime during dark hours, which in places like Abisko or Tromsø can be nearly 24 hours a day in winter.
When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?
Generally, the best time to see the Northern Lights is between September and April when the long hours of darkness mean plenty of opportunity for seeing the aurora . The Northern Lights occur throughout the year.
What are the Northern Lights really look like?
The northern lights often appear as green or yellow in colour, but other colours like violet, blue, pink, orange and even white can also be seen.
What is the best view of the Northern Lights?
The best time of day for viewing the northern lights is between the evening and morning civil twilights (when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon) on a clear or partly cloudy night.
Which town is best for the Northern Lights?
Alaska. Alaska is easily the best place to see the Northern Lights in the U.S.