NASA notes that “the variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn,” but perhaps you’re asking yourself a more basic question: How do auroras even work? To put it simply, it goes like this: The Sun is pretty darn hot, and as it burns and bubbles and whatnot, it sometimes creates solar winds, made of plasma particles, into space. When these particles enter Earth’s atmosphere, they hit atoms’ electrons in the atmosphere, which brings them into a high-energy state. As these electrons re-enter a lower-energy state, they release photons of light, the light that makes up the auroras you’re lucky enough to get a look at sometimes.
What planet do you think would have the coolest-looking auroras? Let us know what you think down in the comments!
Featured image: NASA
