Northern Lights are usually green, and sometimes red. Those are the colors produced by oxygen when it is excited by electrons raining down from space. On Feb. 22nd, Micha Bäuml of Straumfjord, Norway, witnessed an appariton of aurora-blue:
"All of a sudden the sky exploded," says Micha. "The aurora looked like a giant flame."
In auroras, blue is a sign of nitrogen. Energetic particles striking ionized molecular nitrogen (N2+) at very high altitudes produces a cold azure glow of the type captured in Micha's photo. Why it overwhelmed the usual hues of oxygen on Feb 22nd is unknown. Auroras still have the capacity to surprise.
Any auroras tonight, blue or otherwise, will be a bit of a surprise. Geomagnetic conditions are quiet. NOAA forecasters estimate a scant 5% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on March 3rd. - Space Weather.
north face outlet, jimmy choo outlet, babyliss, ray ban, ghd hair, north face outlet, celine handbags, converse, nike roshe run, mac cosmetics, gucci, nike huaraches, hermes belt, longchamp uk, ferragamo shoes, hollister, nike trainers uk, converse outlet, p90x workout, hollister clothing, oakley, beats by dre, chi flat iron, bottega veneta, valentino shoes, vans, nfl jerseys, wedding dresses, iphone cases, mont blanc pens, hollister, instyler, asics running shoes, soccer jerseys, insanity workout, mcm handbags, giuseppe zanotti outlet, soccer shoes, timberland boots, lululemon, vans outlet, herve leger, louboutin, nike air max, new balance shoes, reebok outlet, nike air max, baseball bats, abercrombie and fitch, ralph lauren
ReplyDelete