Northern Lights

Northern-Lights.mp3
Northern-Lights.mp4
Northern-Lights-Unplugged-Underground-XXIX.mp3
Northern-Lights-Unplugged-Underground-XXIX.mp4

Northern-Lights-Animation-1.mp4
Northern-Lights-Animation-2.mp4
Northern-Lights-intro.mp3

[Intro]
It depends whether
(… there’s space weather)
Because this is…
(Aurora Borealis)

[Verse 1]
Hey now mama
(Makin’ plasma)
The solar winds begin
(Blowin’ n’ blowin’)

[Chorus]
It depends whether
(… there’s space weather)
Because this is…
(Aurora Borealis)

[Bridge]
The Northern Lights
(Reach new heights)

[Verse 2]
And there’s flares
(Dropped jaw stares)
Will the colored lights
(Light up the nights)

[Chorus]
It depends whether
(… there’s space weather)
Because this is…
(Aurora Borealis)

[Outro]
Acceleration (and precipitation)
Into the ionosphere’s (sphere)
Coronal mass ejection
(Magnetic reconnection)
Excitation (Excitation)
Excitation
The Northern Lights
(Reach new heights)

ABOUT THE SONG AND THE SCIENCE

The physics of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is a multi-stage process of “space weather” involving the transfer of energy from the Sun to Earth’s atmosphere.

1. The Solar Source

The process begins at the Sun, a massive nuclear fusion reactor. Extreme heat in the Sun’s outer atmosphere (the corona) creates plasma—a gas of free electrons and protons.

Solar Wind: These charged particles escape the Sun’s gravity and stream through space at speeds between 400 and 800 km/s (roughly 1 to 2 million mph).
CMEs and Flares: Large eruptions, such as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), send massive clouds of plasma toward Earth, often triggering the most intense auroral displays.

2. Interaction with Earth’s Magnetosphere

Earth is surrounded by a magnetic shield called the magnetosphere. Most solar wind particles are deflected, but some enter the magnetosphere through a process called magnetic reconnection.

Energy Storage: Particles and energy become trapped in Earth’s magnetic tail (the magnetotail) on the nightside of the planet.
The “Rubber Band” Effect: When magnetic field lines in the tail stretch too far, they “snap” and reconnect, launching charged particles back toward Earth’s poles at high speeds.

3. Acceleration and Precipitation

As particles travel toward Earth, they are further accelerated by electric fields and Alfvén waves—cosmic undulations that act like ocean waves, allowing electrons to “surf” to even higher velocities, reaching up to 45 million mph. These particles are funneled along magnetic field lines toward the auroral ovals around the North and South Poles.

4. Atmospheric Collisions and Light

The visible glow occurs in the ionosphere (typically 60 to 400 miles high) when these high-energy particles slam into atmospheric gases.

Excitation: When an electron hits a gas atom (oxygen or nitrogen), it transfers energy, “exciting” the atom’s electrons to a higher energy level.
Photon Release: As the atoms return to their stable ground state, they release the excess energy as photons (light).

5. Why the Colors Vary

The specific color depends on the type of gas atom hit and the altitude of the collision.

Color

	Gas Type	Altitude Range	Frequency
Green	Oxygen	60–150 miles	Most common; eyes are most sensitive to this
Red	Oxygen	Above 150 miles	Rare; occurs during intense solar activity
Blue/Purple	Nitrogen	Below 60 miles	Occurs at the lower edges of auroral curtains
Pink/Yellow	Mixed Gases	Varies	Result of overlapping red, green, or blue emissions

From the album “Arctic“