science : Earth saw such a rare polar light for the first time and it happened when there was a huge decline in the gusts of solar wind. After studying the mysterious green aurora for two years – which will appear on Christmas Day in the Arctic in 2022 – Japanese and American researchers have now discovered that it was caused by a ‘storm’ of electrons directed from the Sun. This was the first time such a rare polar light was seen from Earth and it happened when there was a huge decline in the gusts of solar wind, which calmed the area around the Earth. Normally, auroras swirl and pulsate in clearly recognizable shapes in the sky. Electrons from the solar wind — a stream of charged particles flowing from the sun — power the auroral displays.When this happens, the electrons hit molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, colliding with them and making them glow in the different colors of the auroras.When this happens, they hit molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, colliding with them and making them glow in the different colors of the auroras.How was the Christmas aurora different from a normal aurora?
The aurora seen on Dec. 25-26, 2022, was quite different.The aurora, captured by the All-Sky Electron Multiplying Charge-Coupled Device (EMCCD) camera in Longyearbyen, Norway, was a faint and shapeless glow that extended over 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers).WATCH: Astronauts test Starliner while aboard the ISS The auroras had no structure and showed no pulsations or distinct brightness. Such auroras had never been seen from Earth before. A team led by Keisuke Hosokawa of the Center for Space Science and Radio Engineering at the Tokyo-based University of Electro-Communications solved the mystery behind these auroras by comparing them with auroras seen by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI) on polar-orbiting satellites of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).
polar rain’ How did this eerie glow form
