Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Lenovo Coupon Codes and Deals: Student Discounts, Back-to-School Sales, and More

    August 23, 2025

    Microsoft tests letting you resume Android apps on Windows 11

    August 22, 2025

    Abxylute will actually sell Intel and Tencent’s gigantic glasses-free 3D handheld

    August 22, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » What’s Up With These Crazy Northern Lights?
    Science

    What’s Up With These Crazy Northern Lights?

    News RoomBy News RoomMay 30, 20244 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    The aurora borealis is usually visible only way up north, but two weeks ago the night sky was filled with shimmering curtains of pink and green light that could be seen all the way down into the southern US. People in Texas and Hawaii got out of their cars to stare and take pictures.

    The cause of this light show was an especially strong blast of solar wind—electrically charged particles shot out from the sun at incredible speeds. And there’s more to come as we approach the peak of the current solar cycle, a period of increased solar storms that happens every 11 years.

    This is one example of what scientists call “space weather,” which deals with the interaction between the sun and the Earth. Not all the consequences of space weather are pretty, and some are outright dangerous. But the physics behind it are pretty cool. Let’s check it out!

    Blowin’ in the Wind

    You might think of the sun as a great ball of fire—but it’s not. (Fire is a chemical reaction between oxygen and carbon.) What the sun is, really, is a giant nuclear fusion reactor. In the core, protons are smashed together under extreme pressure. These protons stick together to create the nucleus of a helium atom, with two protons and two neutrons. (Two of the protons decay into neutrons).

    Illustration: Rhett Allain

    But wait! The helium nucleus has less mass than the four protons we started with. That mass isn’t lost—it’s turned into energy, according to Einstein’s famous equation E = mc2, where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light. That last number is huge—light travels at 300,000 kilometers per second, and it’s hugeness is squared—which means that even a tiny loss of mass creates A LOT of energy. That’s why the sun is so hot, with a core temperature of 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Yep, that’s pretty hot.

    Under this extreme heat, the gases in the outer part of the sun form a plasma in which electrons are ripped away from their atoms, leaving free electrical charges (mostly electrons and protons) zooming around. Some of them are moving fast enough to escape the gravitational pull of the sun. These ejected particles are what we call the “solar wind.”

    You can see the effect of the solar wind when it hits a comet. Comets are basically big dirty snowballs that orbit the sun in long ellipses. As one nears the sun, its icy body sublimates and turns into a gas. Some of this gas gains enough energy to be ionized (electrons are freed from the atoms), leaving an electrically charged gas. Then, when the solar wind hits, it pushes this ionized gas away, creating a tail that can be tens of millions of miles long.

    Fun fact: You might think the tail extends out behind the comet like a jet contrail, but it doesn’t! It extends away from the sun—so basically sideways to the direction of the comet’s motion.

    Why Now?

    But what causes the solar wind to get so worked up every 11 years? Well, like Earth, the sun has a magnetic field, but it’s extremely unstable. Because the sun is not a solid object, different parts of it rotate at different speeds. This causes its magnetic field to twist and warp, and every 11 years or so it actually flips and reverses polarity. This last happened in 2013, and here we are in 2024.

    These moving magnetic field lines can break through the surface, creating sun spots and awesome geysers of plasma known as solar flares. Why does this happen? When electrical charges are zipping around, they can be pushed and pulled by a magnetic field. You can see this yourself with some copper wire and a battery. If you place the wire near a stationary magnet and then connect the ends so a current flows, the wire will move. Check it out:

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHands-on with Amazon’s new “AI-enhanced” Fire TV search
    Next Article Google will roll out Chrome’s new extension spec next week

    Related Posts

    RFK Jr. Is Supporting mRNA Research—Just Not for Vaccines

    August 22, 2025

    Why the US Is Racing to Build a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

    August 21, 2025

    The Plan to Turn the Caribbean’s Glut of Sargassum Into Biofuel

    August 20, 2025

    This Might Be the Most Massive Black Hole Ever Discovered

    August 20, 2025

    Now You Can Get Your Flu Vaccine at Home

    August 20, 2025

    UN Plastics Treaty Talks Once Again End in Failure

    August 19, 2025
    Our Picks

    Microsoft tests letting you resume Android apps on Windows 11

    August 22, 2025

    Abxylute will actually sell Intel and Tencent’s gigantic glasses-free 3D handheld

    August 22, 2025

    The power shift inside OpenAI

    August 22, 2025

    Apple accuses former Apple Watch staffer of conspiring to steal trade secrets for Oppo

    August 22, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Business

    Join Us for WIRED’s “Uncanny Valley” Live

    By News RoomAugust 22, 2025

    On September 9, WIRED is partnering with KQED for Uncanny Valley’s first live show of…

    Meta is going to stuff Midjourney AI images into your feed

    August 22, 2025

    Bluesky blocks Mississippi under new age verification law

    August 22, 2025

    The 50 best Labor Day deals we’ve found so far

    August 22, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.