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Auroras
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. Click to see a video of the aurora. (WMV - Windows Media-format)"The video takes a long time to come in but is well worth the wait. It is 5 minutes in length. Portions may be watched also.
I've
never lived anywhere that the Northern or Southern Lights are visible but
I see the pictures them and I'm in absolute amazement. Click the Northern
Lights Button above.
What Causes these auroras? Believe it or not the solar flares on the surface of the sun cause these ominous light displays in the sky. Let's take a look at the sun shall we?
Learn more about Auroras at
http://www.northern-lights.no/
Video of Solar Flareshttp://www.northern-lights.no/resources/SOHO_LASCO_4week.mpeg Figure it out!
Sunspots occurred in great number in 1979-80 and again in 1990 and yet
again in 2001. What year should the next incidence of high frequency
sunspots occur?
Tremendous explosions called solar flares erupt from the sun surface when
sunspot activity is at its highest. These flares shoot particles and
radiation out into space. Some of these particles and radiation will reach
the earth's atmosphere. When they do it can cause static on radios and
change the amount of power on electric lines. They also cause colorful
auroras-or the Northern and Southern lights. Auroras are glowing rays,
bands, or curtains of light that shimmer in the night sky. Most aurora are
a greenish white color but they can often be seen in colors of red, yellow
or green. We call them the Northern and Southern lights because they occur
most often in the skies closer to the earth's north and south pole.
Check
for understanding
What
is the hottest part of the sun?
How do
solar flares affect the earth?
Resources
Welcome to Alaska! Virtual Tour-The Northern Lights
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The sun can
hurt your eyes if you look at it directly so you should never do this.
Astronomers use special tools to look at the sun. The temperature at the
sun's center is about 15,000,000 degrees Celsius. It is so hot that the
sun has no solid material at all. The surface of the sun is much cooler
than the inside at about 5500 degreed Celsius. Sunspots appear on the
surface of the sun. These areas are about 1000 degrees cooler than the
other surface areas. Sunspots have strong magnetic fields that affect the
sun's gases. The number of sunspots follows a fairly regular pattern
occurring in greater frequency about every 11 years.