LOC13:26
10:26 GMT
KUWAIT, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- The aurora borealis lights polar skies with glowing arcs and curtains, created when charged solar particles interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, producing a display high above the planet.
The mechanism begins with the sun releasing a stream of electrically charged particles known as the solar wind. These particles, particularly electrons and protons, reach Earth and collide with atoms and gas molecules in the atmosphere, guided by Earth's magnetic field.
The collisions then cause nitrogen and oxygen atoms to gain temporary energy, which in turn releases some energy as they return to their normal energy levels, in the form of photons (light).
A recent study by a team of physicists from the University of Iowa demonstrated that the brightest auroras are produced by powerful electromagnetic waves during geomagnetic storms.
The study showed that these phenomena, also known as Alfven waves, accelerate electrons toward Earth, causing the particles to produce the light known as the Northern Lights.
Auroral colors depend on the type of atmospheric gas and the energy of incoming solar particles, with the most common and brightest display appearing as white light tinged with green or yellow-green.
Although typically visible in polar regions, the aurora was observed over the Arabian Gulf in 2024.
The Oman Astronomical Society documented the aurora in Omani skies for the first time, after astrophotographers observed unusual colored lights during a powerful solar storm on May 12. (end)
str.ao