jtotheizzoe:

The Auroras, Earth’s Art Show!

Hey folks, the next episode of It’s Okay to be Smart is up on YouTube! If you like pretty sky stuff, you’ll like this one.

Space might seem like an empty place, but the area surrounding Earth is constantly being bombarded by waves of charged particles released by the Sun: The solar wind. Luckily, thanks to Earth’s swirling, molten core (and the magnetic field it provides), we are protected from this planet-sterilizing onslaught with an invisible force field.

All that science has a beautiful side effect: It makes the auroras! The Northern and Southern lights are the result of the solar wind and its dance with Earth’s magnetic field and polar atmosphere. It’s like our own cosmic light show!

Head on over to the YouTube channel and subscribe for more great science. Be sure to check out the last episode while you’re there, a cosmic love story featuring Ann and Carl (about our search for alien civilizations). If you’d like to see something on a future episode or tell me wheat you think, send me a message or leave a comment on the video!