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AURORA

terms and what they mean

QuestionAnswer
Bz needs to be .... South which will be a negative number...North is positive
Bz is the ... North - South orientation component of the solar wind's magnetic field
Bz shows.. how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field
The interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field.... decides how strong the Arora becomes.
Bz is an essential measure of the solar wind
Solar Wind is the speed of the wind (km)
Bt is the Total Magnetic Field Strength (MF)
Bt is used to measure the strength of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
For Aurora to happen the wind speed needs to be 450km or higher speed
KP is an overall number based off of... current geomagnetic conditions
Bt need to be above ... +4
Ovation
Once the Bz suddenly turns South you'll need to wait from... 15-60 minutes for Northern Lights to appear
In Iceland, under the aurora oval, a Bz strength of -1 to -5 ... is good
Fast solar winds ... expands the aurora oval and moves it further south.
Higher density leads to more colorful displays.
In Iceland, under the aurora oval a Bz strength of -5 to -10... there is a hour or so of Northern lights
In Iceland, under the aurora oval with a Bz strength below -20 an unforgetable evening of display ensues
Ovation... Big Fat and Green over Michigan
Density should be... low and climbing to see pillars
Bt needs to be ... 4+ or high to coincide with -Bz, its the ON switch
Kp index 0-9 is Earths geomagnetic activity/disturbances from solar particles
Kp 6-9 means stronger magnetic activity
Kp 0-2 means quiet conditions
The Solar Wind is a ... constant stream of charged particles from the Sun, carrying with it energy and magneic fields
The z-component of the magnetic field (Bz) largely controls... how much energy the solar wind can transfer to Earth
South or negative Bz is what we want because... Earth's magnetic field points north/positive ...and opposites polarities "attract"
Usually the solar wind is.... calm and gentle
Sometimes the solar wind can become gusty called... CME's (Coronal Mass Ejection) or blow faster than usual (coronal holes)
Earth's magnetic field forms a protective shield around us called the... magnetosphere
The solar wind buffets around our planet like a... rock in a stream of water
Earth's magnetosphere is shaped like.. a comet
The side of the magnetosphere facing away from the sun gets... stretched out in a tail-like configuration
Energy and partices from the solar wind flows... into Earth's magnetic field.
The auroral ovals are... two donut-shaped regions where auroras can be sen every night
During active geomagnetic activity and substorms (15-30 min activity flare-ups) the aurora.. can be seen further away from the quiet auroral ovals.
The aurora occurs high up in Earth's atmosphere around... 100-500km in altitude
Different colors form at different heights and are due to... different gases being "excited" by charged particles raining down from space
Red aurora are produced by ... atomic oxygen high up
Green auroras are produced by... O around 100-2--km
Blue( pink) auroras are produced by ... nitrogen further down closer to earth
Over lapping red and green auroras you get... orange aurora
CME (Coronal mass ejections ) are.. large sun "sneezes"
CMEs are large sun sneezes of charged particles and magnetic field into space.
CMEs can trigger geomagnetic storms at Earth
Coronal holes are like.... solar wind lighthouses beaming fast solar wind into space
Coronal holes are areas of ... open magnetic fields in the Sun's atmosphere where solar wind can flow out freely
Coronal holes can last for months and rotate with the Sun every 27 days
Coronal holes cause relatively reliable minor disturbances at Earth
Aurora peak months are April and October
What is a substorm? a flare up aurora activity, every 4 hours, like dropping a stone in water how it ripples and spreads out
The Aurora occurs up in the Earths atmosphere around... 100-500km in altitude
Earth's magnetosphere is shaped like... a comet
In Iceland, under the aurora, a Bz strength of -1 to -5 is good
Earth's magnetic field forms a protective shield around us called the... magnetosphere
Over lapping red and green aurors you get orange aurora
CMEs are large sun sneezes of charged particles and magnetic field into space
CME can trigger... geomagnetic storms at Earth
Bz shows... how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field
Kp 0-2 means... quiet conditions
What is a substorm? a sudden, intense brightening and rapid extention of the aurora.
What causes a substorm? a massive release of energy and charged particles from Earths magnetotail into the upper atmosphere.
What do substorms create? a spectacular dancing curtain of light that are more dynamic than typical aurora
What is the magnetotail? The magnetic field stretching away from the sun
What does a faint slow-moving pink band on the northern horizon signal?? Energy accumulation (Growth Phase of substorm)
A sudden onset leads to rapid brightening , twisting, pulsing, and expansion across the sky with bright green arcs and pillars, lasting 15 -30 minutes is the Expansion Phase of a substorm
The intensive activity subsides, returning to quieter more diffuse displays is Recovery Phase of a substorm
What happens first in a the Energy Buildup in a substorm? Energy and charged particles from the solar wind accumulate
In a substorm energy and charged particles accumulate where? In Earth's magnetosphere in the magnetotail
After the energy buildup what happens in a substorm? Magnetic Reconnection
What is the Magnetic Reconnection? A sudden rearrangement of magnetic field lines triggers a release, allowing particles to rush down towards the poles
Finally what happens in the Particle Precipitation? these accelerated particles collide with atmospheric gases, exciting them and causing them to emit light creating the aurora
Created by: kdewey
 

 



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