Hayato Masuda: A Scintillating, Untouchable Light—The Aurora Borealis Explained

This is a guest article by [ink.] reader Hayato Masuda from Singapore. Contact him at masud61695@gapps.uwscea.edu.sg.

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Introduction

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and seen the Aurora before? Those beautiful swaying multi-coloured ribbons of silk, flaring through the starry nights? Have you ever wondered what it is, and how it is created, formed? What did our ancestors think about it? We have been living on this planet, Earth for six million years, and yet still, we do not precisely know what it is. Right now, you should be wondering what an aurora is and also how it is made. In this article, I will teach you about the shimmering, untouchable light that is the aurora borealis.

What is the Aurora Borealis, and how is it formed?

Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern lights, is a phenomenon caused by the sun, even though they are best seen at night. It forms when charged particles from the sun strike atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, causing electrons in the atoms to move to a higher-energy state. When the electrons drop back to a lower energy state, they release a light called a photon. The protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the particles.

However, the sun doesn’t send the same amount every time, meaning that sometimes the sun could send a solar storm. When a solar storm comes toward Earth, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north, going into Earth’s atmosphere. There, the particles will interact with gases in the atmosphere, resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky.

The Naming of Aurora Borealis, and the stories behind it

Greek Thinking

Aurora Borealis is derived from the Greek and Latin words “Aurora” meaning “dawn” and “Boreas” meaning “wind”. For the ancient Greeks to have seen the lights there must have been some incredibly strong solar activity because sightings so far south are almost unheard of. In Greek and Roman mythology, Aurora was the sister of Helios and Selene, the sun and moon respectively, and that she raced across the early morning sky in her multi-coloured chariot to alert her siblings to the dawning of a new day.

Northern Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland

The ancestors of modern Iceland believed that it would relieve the pain of delivery as long as the mother didn’t look at the aurora while giving birth because the child would be born cross-eyed.

In Greenland, the lights were also linked to giving birth, though rather sadly, they were judged to be the souls of stillborn babies or even babies killed at birth.

In Finland, it was held that the lights were caused by a firefox who ran so quickly across the snow that his tail caused sparks to fly into the night sky creating the Aurora. Indeed, the Finnish word for the Northern Lights, “revontulet”, translates as “firefox”. Another belief held by the Sámi people of Finnish Lapland amongst others was that the lights were created from the spray of water showered from whales.

In Sweden, the Aurora was often seen as a bringer of good news. Many of Swedish ancestors believed the lights to be a gift from gods providing warmth also light in the form of a volcano in the north. Elsewhere in the country, they were believed to be the light reflection from a large bank of herring and bode well for the local fishermen and the Swedish farming community saw the lights as a sign of a good harvest in the coming year.

The Northern Lights feature prominently in Norse mythology. One legend suggests that the lights were reflections or glow from the shields and armour of the Valkyrie, female warriors who would choose who may die in battle and who may live to fight another day. Dying in battle seemed to occupy Norse mythology quite a bit and the Aurora was also believed to be “Bifrost Bridge”, a glowing and pulsating arch which led those fallen in battle to the warriors final resting place in Valhalla.

Why is the Aurora Borealis so popular and attractive for tourists?

The aurora is popular and attractive for tourists because it is exceptionally beautiful. Located just two degrees below the Arctic Circle, near the international airport also close to Denali National Park, Fairbanks is the best place in the US to observe this mysterious light. Quoting Philip Pullman from his novel The Golden Compass:

“The sight filled the northern sky; the immensity of it was scarcely conceivable. As if from Heaven itself, great curtains of delicate light hung and trembled. Pale green and rose-pink, and as transparent as the most fragile fabric, and at the bottom edge a profound fiery crimson like the fires of Hell, they swung and shimmered loosely with more grace than the most skilful dancer.”

Conclusion

You’re standing in the middle of the antarctic circle and looking at the shimmering Aurora Borealis. It is glistening in the cold, dark night. Would you agree with the following quote from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream:

“For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast, and yonder shines Aurora's harbinger; At whose approach ghosts, wandering here and there, troop home to churchyards.”

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Credits and Sources: For Further Reading

Nasa space place

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/aurora/en/

Aurora-flyer 2

https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/telecons/archive/PR_E-PO/Aurora_flyer/aurora-flyer_p2.doc.pdf

Youtube- Aurora

https://youtu.be/1MI3YDGgtN4

Youtube- Nasa

https://youtu.be/PBJAR3-UvSQ

Newsela- What are Auroras?

https://newsela.com/read/lib-nasa-northern-lights-aurora-borealis/id/25809

Youtube- The Auroras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc3FxNXjBs0

Youtube- The Aurora Borealis

https://youtu.be/lT3J6a9p_o8

The 10 best places to see the Aurora

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/10-best-places-to-see-the_n_814506.html

Where to see the northern lights

https://www.best-served.co.uk/blog/where-to-see-the-northern-lights-2015-2016

Youtube- Where did the Aurora get its name?

https://youtu.be/2r4Uor-qnh0

The aurora's legends

https://www.theaurorazone.com/about-the-aurora/aurora-legends