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Astronomy · L3 · From Solar Wind to Auroral Light

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The chain of events from the solar wind striking the magnetosphere to the emission of visible auroral light.

by @openstemUpdated Astronomy
Solar wind: charged particles from the SunCompresses the dayside magnetosphereMagnetic reconnection in the magnetotailParticles accelerated toward the poles along field linesParticles funnel down through the polar cuspsCollisions excite oxygen and nitrogen in the thermosphereExcited atoms emit light as they relaxAurora: green and red from oxygen, blue/violet from nitrogen

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