Yes there is, and it's called the Aurora Borealis.
Also know as the northern lights, the Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomena that occurs in the polar regions of the world. It appears in many colors and looks like floating walls sometimes. (well to me it does.) It is formed when charged particles are guided by the earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere near the poles. When these particles collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, primarily oxygen and nitrogen, some of the energy in these collisions is transformed into visible light.
The Sun causes these Auroras. The Sun continually emits charged particles, which are byproducts of thermonuclear reactions occurring in the sun. The charged particles make solar wind, which travels through space at speeds of 300-1,000 km/sec.- about a million miles per hour. But not quite the speed of light. The charged particles reach the earth in about two to three days.
When the charged particles reach the earth, the magnetic field deflects the solar wind, or charged particles. The solar wind flows over the earth much like a river flows over rocks. The solar wind makes the magnetic field bend and distort, which causes the Aurora.
The best place to see the Aurora Borealis phenomena is in Alaska. The colors are the most vibrant and mystical. (Yes, I said mystical) And, like you said above,it is JUST like a river flowing over stones on the riverbed.
ReplyDeleteI really like the fact that you found what it's made of. I always used to think that it was just random space dust that caught the light just right! Tee-hee! But now I know the collisions create the light energy! WOO-HOO!
This was a very informational blog. It taught me stuff that I didn't know. (Which is pretty hard to do! JK!) I applaud you for the massive epictude of your blog! Thanks for putting your time and effort into it!
Your welcome, glad i could help! :o i like epictude... hehehe
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