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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-aurora-electrons

What makes the glowing lights of an aurora?

Electrons from space hitting the upper atmosphere make the gas glow.

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  1. Sunlight bouncing off polar ice
  2. Electrons striking gases high in the atmosphere ✔
  3. Lightning far above the clouds

Why: Charged particles from space get steered by Earth's magnetic field toward the poles. When the electrons crash into gas high in the atmosphere, the gas gives off light, making the aurora.

Huh, didn't know that: Auroras form two ovals, one around each magnetic pole.

The dad joke
Why do auroras love the poles? Because that's where the party lights are.
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References

Answer: Electrons striking gases high in the atmosphere. Charged particles from space get steered by Earth's magnetic field toward the poles. When the electrons crash into gas high in the atmosphere, the gas gives off light, making the aurora.

  1. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Aurora www.spaceweather.gov/phenomena/aurora
    are the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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