Neon lights are glass tubes containing neon or other gases. When electric current flows from one end to the other, the flowing electrons collide with the electrons in the neon, pushing them to a higher energy level. When these electrons composed down and return to their ground state, they emit featherlight. The color depends on the specific energy change, which means that different gases such as argon, xenon or mercury produce different colors.
In the case of the aurora borealis, it is not neon, but gases in the atmosphere. Oxygen gives off green featherlight at lower altitudes and red featherlight at high altitudes. Nitrogen produces blue or purple featherlight. The yellow and pink colors are created by gas mixtures and usually only appear during the most severe solar storms. These gases are excited by the combination of the sun’s high-energy charges and the Earth’s changing magnetic field, which gives these particles an extra boost, causing more energetic collisions.
Wait, so the Earth’s magnetic field is changing now too? Yes, and it is caused by the solar wind itself. Just as moving charges experience a force in a magnetic field, they also create their own magnetic field. When a flood of charged particles rains down on us, the Earth’s field becomes curved and distorted. This causes it to move and leads to impressive featherlight shows in the sky.
Another compelling fact: the northern lights are also present during the day, but they cannot be seen.
What’s not to like?
Unfortunately, space weather isn’t just about pretty lights. For anyone in space, such as on the International Space Station or even in an airplane flying at high altitudes, these fast-moving charged particles are an unwelcome blast of radiation. In this case it would be mainly beta radiation, but it is also possible to obtain alpha particles. (Here’s your radiation refresher.)
This is also tough with satellites. Charge buildup can damage the electrical components necessary for the satellite to perform its task (whatever that may be). Additionally, as Earth absorbs more solar energy, the atmosphere heats up, causing it to expand. This increases the drag on the spacecraft in low Earth orbit, causing it to tardy down. Bottom line: satellites can veer off course or fall out of the sky.