Space · Signature experience
How does an aurora light up the night sky?
Charged particles from the Sun meet Earth’s magnetic field, are guided toward the polar regions, and make the upper atmosphere glow when they collide with oxygen and nitrogen.
Start the aurora experienceParticles leave the Sun
The Sun sends charged particles into space as well as light.
Magnetic fields bend the path
Earth’s magnetic field changes particle paths and guides many toward the poles.
The atmosphere glows
Collisions energize oxygen and nitrogen, which later release visible light.
Look for this first
Watch what changes during the experience
- 01How solar particles bend near Earth
- 02Why many particles are guided toward the poles
- 03Why aurora forms an oval around polar regions
- 04How auroral colors can vary with gas and altitude
Why does it happen?
These ideas explain what you see
Solar wind
Charged particles such as electrons and protons travel outward from the Sun.
Earth’s magnetic field
The field changes charged-particle motion and guides many particles toward polar regions.
Atmospheric collisions
Particles transfer energy to oxygen and nitrogen high in the atmosphere.
Energy becomes light
Excited atoms and molecules release light as they return to lower-energy states.
Key words
Keep the hard words simple
- Charged particle
- A tiny particle carrying electric charge.
- Magnetic field
- A region where magnetic forces can affect magnets and charged particles.
- Upper atmosphere
- Very high layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
- Auroral oval
- A ring-shaped region around each pole where aurora commonly appears.
Aurora is not sunlight shining on clouds; it is light produced when solar particles energize Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Try it yourself
Send the particles yourself and rotate Earth
Send several particle bursts, toggle the magnetic-field lines, and rotate Earth to compare particle paths with the auroral oval.
Science sources