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WHAT IS BOREAL LIGHT?
What is really Boreal Light? The Boreal Light appears when energetic clouds
of electro magnetic radiation meets the atmospheres atoms and molecules,
and make them shine. When meeting, they become unstable, where the energy level
is higher than before. While they are stabilising to the stabile basic
condition, the surplus energy is released as light kvanter with the
characteristic wave length (colours). The light can be seen from 90 up to 300
km.

When the sun has a rupture,
enormous amounts of energy is released, witch creates intense radiation, and
some times clouds of very energetic particles, that is projected out in space.
When the earth lies in the trajectory of a rupture, parts of the projected
particles hits the earths magnetic shield. In those cases, there are
interference in the magnetic shield and creates beautiful Boreal Light, and it
can be seen. The interference can also damage to electric systems. Satellites in
orbit around the earth, can get out of order and in the worst of cases get
damaged of the particles filled with energy from the suns rupture.
Astronauts out in space, are also in danger.
Big ruptures from the sun, can send out big amounts of particles that may be
deadly (typically protons with high level of energy), with almost the speed of
the light, hits the earth only 10-15 minutes after a rupture. An astronaut
out in space can be killed of such a cloud. There are satellites that can warn
you about such events, so the astronaut can search shelter. A better
understanding of these mechanisms behind these enormous ruptures are quite
important, to better predict and in the same time warn potential dangerous
ruptures.
Every day there is boreal light in the polar
areas, as in northern Scandinavia, island and Greenland. It is seen especially
at local midnight. In Denmark appears boreal light mainly in connection with a
powerful magnetic activity, "magnetic storm". On earth, these magnetic storms
are sees when there have beena volcano like rupture on the sun. These ruptures
are quite common on that part of the suns 11 year period, when there are many
spots on the sun. In 2002-2003 the activity was at its top. We are now on our
way towards a minimum of spots on the sun in about year 2013. The years inn
between maximum of spots and minimum of spots, magnetic storm appear only a few
times a year. In a period of maximum of spots, magnetic storm appear several
times a month.
The boreal light on the dark sky, have some few
but strong characteristic colours, that mirrors the composition of the
atmosphere. It was the Swedish, A. J. Ångstrøm,
that in 1867 with a simple spectrometer, first decided the characteristic waves
for the visible boreal light. The dominating colours are yellow-green,
red and bleu-violet lines. Apart the the visible colours, there are lines in the
ultraviolet and infrared areas.

How does the boreal light look
like?
In the boreal zones, witch are circular areas around the magnetic poles, the
boreal light are usually white greenish and have a shape as long, waving
curtains, that hang from a horizont to an other, often in many hours. The boreal
light looks also like bows, that goes out from the earth and go fare up and then
return to earth. In between the normally calm bows, get active and restless and
explode in to wild movements with strong luminous colours.
Boreal light in a historic
context
Boreal light is a phenomen as old as the earth and has been described in
ancient writings from countries as Kina, Egypt, Greece and the old Rome. There
exists many fantastic histories and tellings about the boreal light and
explanations filled with fantasy. In the nordic countries that lies in the
boreal light zone, the boreal light has been a mystic, unexplainable and a
scaring part of the everyday and you can find explanations of the boreal light
in nordic saga and legends. But it was also in the nordic countries that the
modern research and science started and became a part of to days space research.
Myths and superstition
In many nations has the boreal light created myths and superstition. Mostly
has it given the opportunity to create fear for the supernatural or as an omen
about accidents and death. There are big differents between the believes in the
north and south. This differents has a real physical background. In the north,
in and near the boreal light zone, the boreal light appears daily, but appears
rather rear in the south.
Not all the tellings about the
boreal light was that scaring. According to the Ottawa Indians in Canada,
created the god Nanahboozko the world and
the people and gave them wisdom and experience. Later he moved further to the
north, but promised before he left, that he always would keep an eye on them and
take care of them. As a sign of this, he would lid a powerful fire from time to
time and the light would be seen by man in the sky. So for these Indians the
boreal light was a positive sign, that Nanahboozko, their god and creator,
looked after his children and had them in mind all the time.
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