Aurorae (14 photos)

To understand the origin of this mysterious and majestic natural phenomenon has long tried to the best minds of humanity. But only in the mid-twentieth century, it became clear that the auroras are driven by cosmic charged particles "bombarding" the upper atmosphere of the Earth.
At high latitudes during the long polar night, there are very beautiful auroras. Suddenly the dark sky illuminated by the faint light of distant stars, from horizon to horizon flashes bright luminous band. Amazing play of colors accompanies this fantastic phenomenon: a greenish-yellow color becomes purple, dark red, red. Radiance quickly follow each other, resembling a wave moving toward the zenith light. As if huge thousand-length pleated curtains swaying in the sky, illuminating the icebound polar sea and snowy tundru.

The study of the nature of auroras is not only of scientific interest, because auroras - is one of the manifestations of the processes that have an impact on people's lives. Radiance violate the high-frequency radio and TV communications, satellite communications weaken radio signals. Strong auroras accompanied by intensive induction currents in high-voltage power lines, which sometimes lead to tripping of protective relays, disconnection of electrical, power supply large areas. Induced electric fields increase the mobility of ions in arctic new pipelines, which leads to acceleration of corrosion. X-ray radiation produced when braking energy electrons in the atmosphere, may in the future constitute a danger to passengers airliners if altitude jets will grow even more. In recent years, a considerable amount of research has been devoted to studying the relationship of auroral and meteorological phenomena.

Auroras on Saturn

Written evidence of auroras date back to the VIII century BC. e. In the poem "Theogony" ancient Greek poet Hesiod mentioned "burning skies" and "fiery flying dragons." It is possible that the origin of the myth of Mount Olympus, where, according to legend, was inhabited by the gods of the ancient Greeks, due to the occasionally observed in northern Greece auroras. But the first reliable description of the aurora in the ancient world, Aristotle did in his classic treatise "Meteorology": "Sometimes at night in clear weather in the sky you can see the effects of blood-red color, shaped ditches and ravines. (Red color is very characteristic of glow in the middle and low latitudes during geomagnetic storms.) Is not passed by the mysterious celestial phenomenon and the ancient Chinese chronicles. Product auroras, compiled according to ancient manuscripts, begins with the events of the year 687 BC. e. and covers the monitoring conducted in the first millennium BC. e. Numerous references to the aurora are found in the chronicles of medieval Scottish and Norse sagas.
In Russian chronicles the earliest reported auroras refers to the year 919. "Say the Pohorje winter sky and the pillars of fire went from Russia to Greece battling" - leads VNTatischev in his "History of Russia since ancient times an excerpt from the book of the chronicles.