Why Aurora Has Different Colors

Here we learn what causes the different colors in the aurora borealis (northern lights) and the aurora australis (southern lights). Learn how aurora colors work. See the chemistry and physics of the northern and southern lights and how the aurora works on other planets.

Learn how the aurora gets its colors from the interactions of energetic particles and air molecules in the upper atmosphere. Explore the history, structure, and processes of the northern lights with examples and images. If you saw the aurora, or any of the photos, you might be wondering what exactly was going on.

What makes the glow, and the different colours? Green, red and purple aurora over Mefjord in Norway. (Getty Images/ Westend61) During intense outbursts of the northern lights, onlookers may see three or four colors at the same time.

Other colors, and why cameras see them better While green is the most common color to see in the aurora, and red the second most common, there are also other colors. Auroras are vibrant light displays created when energetic particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. These events, also seen on other planets like Saturn and Jupiter, result in a range of colors depending on altitude and the atmospheric gases involved.

Scientists study auroras using tools like rockets, balloons, and ground-based instruments, while public. The different colors of the aurora are produced when different atmospheric atoms and molecules are excited to various energy levels. The most common auroral color is a pale green color at a wavelength of 557.7 nm.

The dancing colours of the northern lights are mesmerising. And these beautiful displays are different every night, varying in intensity, pattern and colour palette. So what causes the aurora colours? And why are they constantly changing? Here, we look at the science behind this breathtaking spectacle, exploring the colours of the aurora and the atmospheric gases that cause them.

What colour. What is an aurora, and why do they come in different shapes and colors? An aurora is one of nature's most spectacular sights, a dazzling glow in the upper atmosphere driven by space weather.