The Northern Lights occur so high up in the atmosphere that they don’t pose any threat to people watching them from the ground. The aurora itself is not harmful to humans but the electrically charged particles produced could have some potentially negative effects to infrastructure and technology.
What would happen if you touched the Northern Lights?
The aurora is emitted between 90 and 150 km in altitude (i.e. mostly above the ‘official’ boundary of space, 100 km), so ungloving your hand inside an aurora would likely be fatal (unless a fellow astronaut immediately reattaches your glove and repressurizes your suit).
Are auroras radioactive?
So the Northern Lights you see emit no radiation, but are themselves electromagnetic radiation emitted by collision between highly energetic solar particles and our atmosphere.”
Is it safe to look at the aurora borealis?
The Northern Lights themselves are perfectly safe for humans to view, as people have been observing and recording them for thousands of years. The dangers that auroras occasionally pose are extremely rare and you are unlikely to ever encounter them.
What effect can auroras have on earth?
aurorae disturb the atmosphere and this affects radio waves that are communicating information around the world. The solar wind adds its own magnetic energy to that of the Earth and when they combine they can blow out electric wires and cables! The Earth’s atmosphere actually expands slightly when aurorae are around.
Can you fly through an aurora borealis?
“We can actually fly into the auroras,” says eye-witness Don Pettit, a Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 30. … Lately, the International Space Station has been flying through
Where is the best place to see the aurora borealis?
The best places in the world are usually closer to the Arctic Circle, including Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. But don’t limit yourself: You can also spot the southern lights in the southern hemisphere. Still, the northern lights are the star of the show.
Does aurora borealis happen every night?
When is Northern Lights season? There is no official season since the Northern Lights are almost always present, day and night. Caused by charged particles from the sun hitting atoms in Earth’s atmosphere and releasing photons, it’s a process that happens constantly.
What month is best to see the Northern Lights?
To see the Northern Lights you need dark skies and from early-April until late-August, the Aurora may be blazing across the Arctic firmament but it is visible only to scientific equipment, as the skies are just too light for the human eye to see the show.
What do Northern Lights look like in real life?
When you see them in real life, the Northern Lights aren’t actually very colorful at all. They often appear milky white in color, “almost like a cloud,” as one seasoned traveler puts it. … He says he often sees them as mostly white, with faint hints of red and pink. Only in photos do other tones emerge.
What are auroras caused by?
As solar wind approaches the Earth, it meets the Earth’s magnetic field. … In the ionosphere, the ions of the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen from the Earth’s atmosphere. The energy released during these collisions causes a colorful glowing halo around the poles”an aurora.
What problems can the Northern Lights Cause?
As the Northern Lights flash, they send 100,000-ampere electric currents throughout the northern upper atmosphere. The magnetic fields associated with those currents can reach down to induce electric currents that speed up corrosion of the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline.
How often does aurora Borealis happen?
Researchers have also discovered that auroral activity is cyclic, peaking roughly every 11 years.
How long does aurora borealis last?
The Northern Lights most commonly appear between 5:00 pm and 2:00 am. They don’t usually exhibit for long ” they may only show for a few minutes, then glide away before returning. A good display may last for no longer than 15-30 minutes at a time, although if you’re really lucky, they could last for a few hours.
Do pilots see the northern lights?
“There is no best time to see the Northern Lights. The biggest factors are visibility and darkness, so any flight on a clear night with dark skies has a better chance of seeing them. With Mother Nature, nothing is ever guaranteed!”
Are aurora borealis and northern lights the same thing?
Aurora borealis ” the Northern Lights. … Polar lights (aurora polaris) are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring. Northern lights are also called by their scientific name, aurora borealis, and southern lights are called aurora australis.