Sentences with phrase «excited nitrogen and oxygen»

The color difference occurs because Earth's auroras are dominated by excited nitrogen and oxygen molecules, and Saturn's auroras are dominated by excited hydrogen molecules.

Not exact matches

Solar particles (the electric current) stream down Earth's magnetic field lines (the tube) and collide with molecules of nitrogen and oxygen (the gas), exciting them until they glow in various colors.

If I'm understanding this correctly, then, much of what's doing the re-radiating is ordinary oxygen and nitrogen that have had the energy from excited CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) transferred to them by collisions.

``... such vibrations are not readily excited in molecules such as oxygen and nitrogen, but can be in others — particularly water and carbon dioxide.

Almost immediately (nanoseconds) they relax from their excited state by either 1) emitting that energy as a new photon, some of which will continue up towards space, some of which will go back downward to be reabsorbed, thus keeping the energy in the atmosphere longer, or 2) by colliding with another gas molecule, most likely an O2 (oxygen) or N2 (nitrogen) molecule since they make up over 98 % of the atmosphere, thereby converting the extra vibrational energy into kinetic energy by transferring it to the other gas molecule, which will then collide with other molecules, and so on, making the air warmer.

Because the molecules in a gas are constantly moving about and colliding with each other, it is very likely that some nearby nitrogen or oxygen molecule will collide with our excited infrared - active gas molecule before it has a chance to emit its light.

4) As I understand it, the ~ 15μm radiation from the Surface to the Atmosphere is absorbed by H2O and CO2 molecules which, when excited, bump into nitrogen and oxygen and other air molecules, and heat the air.

Ira — regarding your summary comment 4) at May 8, 2011 at 7:51 pm my comment — NO, the atmosphere does NOT emit LWIR across a distribution of wavelengths like a blackbody, see my earlier comment at Dave in Delaware says: May 8, 2011 at 7:00 am Ira Glickstein, PhD says: «4) As I understand it, the ~ 15μm radiation from the Surface to the Atmosphere is absorbed by H2O and CO2 molecules which, when excited, bump into nitrogen and oxygen and other air molecules, and heat the air.

The excited gases glow with the color determined by the gas; nitrogen produces red aurora and oxygen almost white through yellow to green.