RICKYtan
- 23
- 0
Do the formation of auroras always occur in circles/ovals/ellipses?? What causes the shape of their formation?
Do all auroras occur in circles?
- Context: High School
- Thread starter RICKYtan
- Start date
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
8 replies · 2K views
- 19,385
- 15,621
I've never heard of auroras occurring in geometrically regular shapes. What makes you think they do? Have you ever looked at pictures of them? Did you see any geometrically regular shapes?RICKYtan said:
- 11,326
- 8,756
I think he means as seen from space.
Yes they do. See the attached picture.
Yes they do. See the attached picture.
- 19,385
- 15,621
Ah. Good point. I've never seen them from spaceanorlunda said:
- 11,326
- 8,756
I should have said mostly circular, not all circular.
- 11,326
- 8,756
Even cooler, this picture is an aurora on Saturn
Electron Spin
- 52
- 28
Would it be safe to say that the viewed circular ionized particles follow the concentric concentration of magnetic lines of the planet poles and hence more flux density, visuals, closer to the poles?
- 11,326
- 8,756
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora
There are many interesting things to learn about Aurora. I recommend reading the entire wiki article.
There are many interesting things to learn about Aurora. I recommend reading the entire wiki article.
- 2,812
- 491
The Earth's magnetic field is very similar to a bar magnet. Ions (such as from the solar wind, or other cosmic events) are confined to magnetic field lines by the Lorentz force, which causes them to gyrate around magnetic field lines. The ions are guided by the magnetic field lines to the poles of the Earth, where the magnetic field lines penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.