GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The colors of the aurora vary, depending on altitude and the kind of atoms involved. If ions strike oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere, the interaction produces a red glow. This is an unusual aurora-the most familiar display, a green-yellow hue, occurs as ions strike oxygen at lower altitudes.

Detailed explanation-2: -How does altitude affect the colors of the aurora? The strong, green light originates at altitudes of 120 to 180 km. Red Northern Lights occur at even higher altitudes, while blue and violet occur mostly below 120 km. When the sun is “stormy, ” red colors occur at altitudes of 90 to 100 km.

Detailed explanation-3: -The short answer to how the aurora happens is that energetic electrically charged particles (mostly electrons) accelerate along the magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas atoms, causing the atoms to give off light.

Detailed explanation-4: -The main entities responsible for the aurora are monoatomic oxygen (O), diatomic nitrogen (N2) and ionized diatomic nitrogen (N2+). Oxygen emits either a red-orange or a lemon-green glow. N2 emits a deep red glow while its ionized form emits a deep blue/purple glow.

Detailed explanation-5: -The lights are often green and red, but also purple, blue and yellow. Some of the forms include luminous curtains, arcs, bands, and patches. Auroras are shaped by Earth’s magnetic field, and these forms are consistent with this formation.