June 21, 2014

Why the different colors formed in aurora?

The color of the aurora depends on which gas is being excited by the electrons and on how much energy is being exchanged. Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light  (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light.  The oxygen and nitrogen molecules also emit ultraviolet light, which can only be detected by
special cameras on satellites

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