Posted on 01/27/2019 12:11:15 PM PST by BenLurkin
Auroras paint the sky around the poles when the sun is particularly active, flinging highly charged particles at Earth's atmosphere. Scientists once thought that the gorgeous events were mirror images, but to their surprise, displays at the north and south don't precisely match.
...
It all comes down to Earth's magnetic tail, which is created by interactions between our planet and the sun. Those interactions begin with Earth's magnetic field, which scientists believe springs from the innards swirling through Earth's core and creating an electrical charge. Magnetic fields... create invisible magnetic field lines arcing between the North and South Poles that can govern the behavior of material around them.
But Earth's magnetic field isn't the only one out there — the sun also has one, which affects the constant flow of highly charged plasma particles that streams out in every direction. The magnetic field embedded in that stream, called the solar wind, interferes with the one Earth produces, squishing it on the daylit side of Earth facing the sun and stretching it on the nightside facing away from the sun into a tail-like shape.
Magnetic field lines carry through the contorted field, and they aren't fixed in place — they break and reform in dramatic events called reconnections. This phenomenon in the tail is what scientists had thought caused nonmatching northern and southern auroras. (It's the tail that matters for the aurora because that's the side of the magnetic field that's in darkness, and auroras are only visible at night.)
Instead, the team behind the current research realized that the solar wind's magnetic field doesn't always line up precisely with Earth's. When it's skewed, it introduces asymmetry between the North and South Poles into Earth's magnetic field — and that, in turn, causes the mismatch between northern and southern auroras.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
This was posted yesterday and the comments indicated that the title was click-bait
I could be wrong but North - South may have something to do with it.
How an article that was published today could have been posted yesterday is a mystery in and of itself, but why anyone would think Space.com is “click-bait” is totally beyond me.
Just did a search. It wasn’t posted yesterday. Or maybe it was removed by a moderator because of all the bogus information in the comments, such as the ridiculous claim that space.com is click bait! If so, too bad, because I’d like to know who said that so I’d be sure never to listen to him again. Probably one of the flat-earthers around here. Space.com has been used for many years on FR as a reliable source for science and astronomy articles.
Psst...you can’t believe everything you hear.
Different article on same subject from Jan 25
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/01/northern-and-southern-lights-are-different-here-s-why
Thank you.
Sometimes 2 aureolas are alike, some aren’t
I saw your reference in comment #7 below to the Science Magazine article, vs. the Space.com article, which was indeed posted yesterday here on FR:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3723118/posts?q=1&;page=21
But there isn't a single claim in that posting either that the title is click-bait, not that I can find. Where did you get that baloney? Thanks.
Maybe because the ones on the south pole are upside down.
“areaolas braless in Antarctica” didn’t bring up helpful search results but did suggest that some rather underdressed people claim to reside in colder climes.
I would recommend refining your search terms.
Also there is the tilt of the earth. Maybe that can affect the aurora displays.
Surprised no mention of magnetic poles moving.
Actually, it is typically not what you gratuitously denigrate as “flat-earthers”; it is typically self-appointed hall monitors behaving as trolls.
Perhaps it is somehow due to racism. Or the presence in the northern hemisphere of so many young, white males wearing MAGA hats.
Guessing that you have spent a great amount of time studying this subject?
Be that as it may, about the spelling?
Areola???
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