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Light Phenomena Around Us Crepuscular Rays aka “twilight” rays or “heaven” rays Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Detail of gold throne panel of King Tutankhamun, Egypt, 1332-1322 BC Aurora Borealis by Lawrence Zeltser Aurora Borealis is such a beautiful sight. The Northern Lights are one of Earth’s greatest phenomena. The lights include a variation of intensity and color as well as it is very rare for it to occur. What Causes Aurora Borealis? Aurora Borealis occurs when charged particles from the sun interfere with the Earth’s magnetic field and the atoms in the atmosphere. When a charged particle reaches the atom it causes the electrons to move to a higher energy state. When it goes back to its normal state, it releases a photon, a light particle that produces varied colors. Fun Facts: • Aurora Borealis is usually seen in the north. • Discovered in 1621 by Pierre Gassendi. • Named after 2 roman gods, Aurora and Boreas. Aurora (Northern Lights) The aurora forms when charged particles emitted from the Sun (solar wind) get caught up in the Earth's magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules in the top of the atmosphere. Different colors of the aurora are produced by different atmospheric components: Red – oxygen atoms at ~200 miles high Blue – ionized nitrogen molecules Green-Yellow – oxygen atoms at ~60 miles high – most common! Pink/crimson/purple – mix of the above • Fireworks use a chain reaction of two explosives which are lit by a fuse. • Fireworks usually contain ”stars” -explosives which are coated in different metals so there’s different colors when the “stars” burn and blow up :) Fireworks What is Iridescence? By: Mark Sasanuma • Iridescence is various colors you see on the surfaces of bubbles and CDs. • Iridescence occurs when white light bounces off a thin reflective film and interfere with each other. Iridescence Bioluminescence Bioluminescence is emission of light by a living organism by means of a chemical reaction (type of Chemiluminescence). It occurs widely among animals (many creatures of the open sea, and insects) as well as in some fungi and bacteria. SUN Solar Eclipse Lightning Phases of the Moon • Half of the Moon is always lit by sunlight. • As the Moon revolves around the Earth, we see the lighted part of the Moon's surface from different angles. • The different shapes we see are called "phases" of the Moon. Twinkle, twinkle, little star… • The scientific term is “astronomical scintillation”. • Observed from the Earth, a star is essentially a pin-point light source. • As starlight travels from space into the Earth’s atmosphere, the rays are refracted. • Since the atmosphere is constantly changing due to turbulence, the amount of refraction also constantly changes. • This causes the image of a star to form in a slightly different part of our eye retina every moment – we perceive it as twinkling. • Planets usually do not twinkle – why? • You might actually see a planet twinkling if it appears low at the horizon – why? Colors of the Stars What Makes a Diamond Sparkle? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/diamond-science.html