And best photos of the aurora from 2023
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
- The northern lights are expected to be more active in 2024.
- The phenomenon is directly related to the sun’s activity.
- Particles from the sun reach Earth and ‘excite’ gases in our atmosphere.
- Depending on which gas, waves of green, blue, purple, white and red lights appear in the sky.
- Read on to find out why 2024 will be a big year for the aurora. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of the northern lights, consider yourself lucky.
During the phenomenon, waves of violet, blue, green, white and red lights fill the night skies.
It can look so magical that some might not believe their eyes.
So what are the northern lights and where do they come from?
CBC Kids News talked to Canadian Space Agency mission scientist and aurora specialist Bill Archer to learn more about the northern lights and why 2024 could be an especially big year for them.
How the northern lights work
The northern lights are also sometimes called the aurora or aurora borealis.
The aurora seen in the skies above Rovaniemi, Finland, on March 15, 2023. (Image credit: All About Lapland/Alexander Kuznetsov)
According to the website space.com, the name came from Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
Galileo named them after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas, in 1619.
But where do they come from?
“It all starts with the sun,” Archer told CBC Kids News.
The sun is constantly shooting particles and big balls of plasma into space.
Northern lights, which are caused by solar wind from the sun, are seen near Mo i Rana, Norway, on Nov. 15, 2023. (Image credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters)
The particles ejected by the sun create something called solar wind.
According to Archer, when the solar wind reaches Earth, it causes the magnetic field that surrounds Earth to stretch like a rubber band.
Imagine you’re stretching a rubber band, and then you let one side go. The rubber band snaps back to its original size, right?
That’s kind of what happens with Earth’s magnetic field. Eventually, it “snaps” back, causing particles in the upper atmosphere to shoot downward.
Northern lights in Sainte-Béatrix, Quebec, on May 22, 2023. (Image credit: Daniel Thomas/CBC)
The particles travel to lower parts of the atmosphere, where gases are thickest.
When the particles collide with those gases, they “excite” the gases, causing them to emit extra energy and glow.
Each gas gives off a different colour when excited.
“Oxygen, for example, turns mostly green and sometimes red, whereas nitrogen turns purple,” said Archer.
Northern lights are seen over Reykjanes Lighthouse near the town of Grindavik, Iceland, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Image credit: Marko Djurica/Reuters)
Why they’ll be brighter in 2024
The sun goes through 11-year cycles of activity.
During certain years of this cycle, the sun emits more particles than usual.
One of those years is 2024, meaning you’ll have more opportunities to see the northern lights.
Northern lights illuminate the night sky in Sommaroy, Norway, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Image credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters)
How can Canadian kids see them?
You’ll need to be out on a night when the northern lights are active.
Even in more active years, Archer said there may be only five nights when the northern lights are visible for the majority of Canadians.
He recommends asking a parent to follow the Alberta Aurora Facebook group, which has lots of experts who track which days are best to spot them.
The northern lights are best viewed around midnight, although any time between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. is best.
They’re most visible on clear nights and are more visible the further north you are in Canada.
Have more questions? Want to tell us how we're doing? Use the “send us feedback” link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
TOP IMAGE CREDI:T Alexey Malgavko/Reuters
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2024-01-01 11:03:48Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNiYy5jYS9raWRzbmV3cy9wb3N0L3doeS15b3VsbC1oYXZlLW1vcmUtY2hhbmNlcy10by1zZWUtdGhlLW5vcnRoZXJuLWxpZ2h0cy1pbi0yMDI00gEA
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