The Source of the Aurora Borealis: Electrons Surfing on Alfvén Waves (IMAGE)
Caption
As electrons accelerated by Alfvén waves stream along the Earth's magnetic field (yellow drops), they collide with oxygen atoms (white dots) and molecules of oxygen and nitrogen (white dumbbells) and cause them to emit light and create the auroras.
Credit
Image courtesy of Austin Montelius, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa
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Image courtesy of Austin Montelius, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa
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