Book 1, Question 66 · Video
Why Do the Northern Lights Glow? A Sky Full of Color!
The Northern Lights are a glowing show high in the sky. The Sun sends out streams of charged particles, and Earth's magnetic field acts like an invisible shield that guides them to
Read the full answer →What Crafty Clover says in this video
Intro
Hi! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why do the northern lights glow?
The Big Idea
Far in the north, the night sky can ripple with green, red, and purple light. The northern lights! Here's the big idea: tiny particles from the Sun make gases high in our sky glow.
The Sun
Step one: the Sun throws charged particles. The Sun sends out streams of charged particles, like tiny bits of energy, into space. Some of them zoom all the way to Earth!
Earth's Magnetic Field
Step two: Earth's magnetic field funnels them. Earth is like a giant magnet. Its magnetic field acts like an invisible shield, and catches the particles. Then it guides them toward the North and South Poles. That's why auroras glow near the poles!
Gases Light Up
Step three: gases light up! When the particles crash into gases in the air, they give them energy, and make them glow! Different gases give different colors. Oxygen glows green and red. Nitrogen glows purple and blue.
A Closer Look
Let's take a closer look at Earth's magnetic shield! Here's the North Pole, at the top. These loops are magnetic field lines. They steer the Sun's particles. The particles slide along them, down toward the North and South Poles, where they make the sky glow.
Quick Facts
Quick facts! The aurora usually happens high up in the atmosphere, about eighty to three hundred kilometers above Earth! The northern lights are also called the aurora borealis. Near the South Pole, there are southern lights too! Northern Canada is one of the best places in the world to see them.
Think Like a Scientist
Now, think like a scientist! Look at an aurora forecast map, online with a grown-up. Find where you live. Check where the northern lights are most likely to glow tonight. Is your home inside the glow zone? Darker green means a higher chance! Look up, stay curious, and keep exploring!
Outro
The northern lights glow when the Sun's particles make gases in our sky light up! Keep asking, keep exploring! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!