The Aurora Australis,or southern lights,photographed from Australia. Aurorae are luminous displays which appear in the night sky near the north & south magnetic poles. They occur at heights above 100 km and form rays,bands,arcs,streamers and curtains,often coloured red or green. Aurorae occur when charged atomic particles from the Sun (the "solar wind") encounter the gases of the ionosphere. The particles are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field and channelled onto the poles. The brightest aurorae usually occur after a solar flare has thrown out a particularly large stream of charged particles | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Garradd, Gordon |
Taille de l’image : | 3724 px × 2411 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
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