Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

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Northern Lights(Aurora Borealis)

• Katie, Rosie, Matt

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Radiation

• Forms of radiation that are reduced by the
  atmosphere
• Ultraviolet
• Cosmic Rays

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Cosmic Rays

• Cosmic Rays are a form of radiation and come from
  some of the most violent objects in the universe
• Supernova
• Neutron
• Star
• Black hole

These rays were first discovered by Victor Hess
in 1912 by flying hot air balloons to altitudes
of 5km he found the air was much more ionised
higher in the atmosphere.
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Solar Wind

• The Earths magnetic field can also protect us
  from radiation from space. Streams of charged
  particles evaporate from the surface of the sun
  in all directions, this is called solar wind.

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Protection from Solar wind

• The solar winds head towards earth at around
  400km/second. It would erode the atmosphere but
  the earths magnetic field deflects most of the
  Solar wind away from the planet.

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What are the Northern Lights?

• Some solar wind is channelled to the north and
  south poles, where they ionise the air and create
  the northern and southern lights.

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Deflecting alpha and beta particles.

• Beams of alpha and beta particles can be
  deflected because they have opposite charges, so
  they deflect in opposite directions. Alpha
  particles have twice the charge of beta
  particles.

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Gamma Rays

• Gamma rays will not be deflected as they have no
  mass.

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Mars

• Mars has a very thin magnetic field, making it
  very hard to live on.