Colors in the Sky

Some of the most beautiful color displays in our natural world can be viewed in the sky. Some people like to watch the different colors occur when the sunrises, others prefer to watch the sunset at the end of the day. Unlike the earth however, the skies presentation of colors does not revolve around the sun. When a combination of charged electrons and protons mix with other particles from the atmosphere, a modern wonder of color can be seen in the sky. Auroras, also known as the Northern or Southern lights, are bands of color found in the night sky. “Auroras are believed to be caused by charged high energy particles from the solar winds that are trapped within the atmospheric magnetic field of the Earth,” (http://www.space.com/auroras/). Auroras come in all different colors; from red and green, the most common, to light blue and violet. “The bright visually pleasing colors commonly associated with auroras are the result of electrons colliding with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere,” (http://www.space.com/auroras/). The collision of certain electrons and other gases, like nitrogen and oxygen, are what determine the color of the auroras. “Most aurorae are green and red emission from atomic oxygen. Molecular nitrogen and nitrogen ions produce some low level red and very high blue/violet aurorae,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy). To view auroras one must be in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, preferably in the polar zone. The Northern display can be viewed during the months of March and April or September and October.

Sources: http://www.space.com/auroras/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

Picture Courtesy of: http://bored-space.com/Pics/Aurora/Aurora001.jpg