Introduction and Monthly Reminders
June's weather has been great for stargazing, although it is much too hot for my liking. The heat aside, the skies have been relatively clear, offering great views of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, and deep sky objects. I have enjoyed looking up during these warm nights to look at the stars and see several satellites fly by. I was also surprised by a meteor streaking and breaking apart as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. I have also been watching for the northern lights with a few days offering a 10% chance of seeing them over Utah. Unfortunately, they haven't been visible yet from my location.
The remaining days of June will offer observers the chance to see noctilucent clouds glowing high above the surface and after dark. We may still have a chance to see the Northern Lights over Utah in the coming weeks, as the Sun remains active. As I'm writing this, there is another decent chance to see the northern lights next week. Observers can still look forward to the Summer Solstice on the 20th and several conjunctions between the Moon and planets.
Aurora
I have recently and quite frequently mentioned how active the Sun is. I have also shared several images, with my most recent one shared above, of the Sun and its many sunspots. When the Sun is at Solar Maximum, like it is now, it releases vast amounts of charged particles. These particles can then interact with the Earth's atmosphere, or any other planet or moon with an atmosphere.
I need to go on a science rant to explain why light is produced when particles interact, so bear with me! Depending on how long ago a science class was taken, an individual may or may not remember that an atom, the fundamental building block of matter, contains a nucleus and a surrounding cloud of protons and electrons. Different atoms contain different numbers of protons and electrons. For example, an oxygen atom with atomic number 8 comprises 8 electrons, while the tungsten atom with atomic number 74 contains 74 electrons. Atoms and molecules (a combination of atoms, ie, water has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom) like to be neutral but occasionally can carry a positive or negative charge, meaning they have an uneven amount of electrons and protons. Atoms or molecules that are missing or have an extra electron are charged particles. Particles (atoms, molecules, or subatomic components) may become "excited" when interacting, meaning electrons move further away from the nucleus (higher energy orbit) and then back to a lower energy orbit. As electrons move to a lower energy orbit, a photon (light particle) is released.
Now that the science talk is mostly behind us, let's continue with more about the aurora! As the charged particles from the Sun interact with the atoms and molecules of the atmosphere, some of them get excited. As discussed, these excited particles can release photons, creating the aurora that we see in the night sky. This process is very similar to how neon lights work. Neon lights contain neon atoms, but other lights may contain different elements like mercury, argon, and xenon. The electricity used to power the lights excites the atoms, causing them to produce light. Separate colors are created when different elements are bombarded by varying amounts of energy. The Earth's atmosphere is mainly made up of oxygen and nitrogen, which produce their own colors.
The colors of the aurora are based on two things: the atoms the charged particles interact with, and the altitude at which the interaction takes place. The most common color of aurora is green. When charged particles from the Sun interact with oxygen between 60 and 190 miles of altitude, the vibrant green aurora is produced. Green is also the color that the human eye is most sensitive to. Aurora may also be red, which occurs when the charged particles interact with oxygen at higher altitudes, typically between 190 and 250 miles above the surface of Earth. Blue and purple auroras are much less common and occur when the charged particles interact with nitrogen less than 60 miles above the surface of the Earth. Yellow and pink aurora are the most uncommon colors and are a mixture of red and either green or blue aurora.
In addition to color, auroras come in different shapes. The most common are sheets or curtains of colored sky. They may also form arcs or spirals in the sky as the charged particles travel along the Earth's magnetic field. Auroras are most common around the poles, with the north having Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and the south having Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). These ethereal lights are most common around the poles as the charged particles follow the magnetic field of the Earth. I urge anyone interested to purchase a bar magnet and some iron filings to see what a magnetic field looks like! Different magnets will produce different magnetic fields, with a bar magnet closely resembling that of the Earth's own magnetic field.
I know I have shared these images on multiple occasions, but here are the best images I've captured of the aurora from Utah on 10 May 2024.
I have found a few resources for predicting where an aurora will be visible. The first is the Space Weather Prediction Center, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which also predicts ocean currents and atmospheric phenomena, such as weather and air quality. On my smart devices (Android phone and iPad), I use the SpaceWeatherLive app. This app shows several current images of the Sun from different satellites, solar activity, and auroral activity. It also has a map that shows where the aurora is visible and the likelihood of seeing it in a specific area. I also use My Aurora Forecast & Alerts app on my Android device. This app is supposed to notify me if there is a chance of seeing an aurora at my current location. I rely more on the SpaceWeatherLive app as My Aurora Forecast & Alerts doesn't always give me a notification. However, I appreciate the map in My Aurora Forecast & Alerts more and will switch between the apps when there is a higher chance of seeing the aurora in my location. I hope that you can view the aurora in your location soon and remember to enjoy the night sky!
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| Now get outside and look up! |
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