Sentences with phrase «auroral oval»
The phrase "auroral oval" refers to a ring-shaped area around the Earth's polar regions where the northern lights (auroras) are most likely to occur. It's like a halo of colorful lights that can be seen in the sky when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field. Full definition
Nearly circular bands, called auroral ovals, surround both poles of our planet.
scientificamerican.com
Earth's full North Polar auroral oval, in an image taken in ultraviolet light by the U.S. Polar spacecraft over northern Canada, April 6, 1996.
Normally, the main region for this impressive display is the «auroral oval», which lies at around 65 - 70 degrees north or south of the equator, encircling the polar caps.
While the cause of the auroral oval emissions is reasonably well understood, the origin of the theta aurora was unclear until now.
In periods of normal solar activity, aurorae can be seen in oval - shaped regions centered on the magnetic poles and lying roughly at a geomagnetic latitude of 65 °, but at times of high solar activity the auroral oval can expand greatly, moving towards the equator.