You are being redirected to the new Antarctica Forum -
If nothing happens in a few seconds click here
From:
Lefty
Date: 12 May 2003
Time: 04:39:14
Remote Name: 142.154.102.121
The aurora is an interaction between charged particles like electrons and the Earth's upper atmosphere. These high-energy charged particles strike the atmosphere and cause it to glow. Generally you can only see them from very extreme northern latitudes, such as Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia, or in northern Russia, or in extreme southern lattitudes like in Antarctica. The Earth's magnetic field is the mechanism that causes aurora to be confined to the north and south regions of the globe. Charged particles like electrons are guided along the Earth's magnetic field, just as your compass is guided to point north by the magnetic field. At the poles, these particles become concentrated and collide with the atmosphere and each other, creating the beautiful light display that we can see from the ground. Hope this helps.