Question

Explain why the aurora borealis, or northern lights, can be seen at the North Pole but not at the equator.

Answer 1

Sample Response: When charged particles from the Sun enter Earth's magnetosphere, the positive ions and negative ions create a ring current that is opposite Earth's magnetic field. This current reduces Earth's magnetic field especially at the poles. When the charged particles enter Earth's atmosphere at the poles, they collide with other atoms at high-altitude areas and produce the aurora borealis, or northern lights.

Answer 2

At north pole the magnetic field strength is very high due to which charge particles enter with very high speed and the air get oxidized and when its excited electrons come back to ground state it releases the photons of different colors.

Now this phenomenon is possible only when magnetic field strength is good so near the north pole and south pole of earth this strong magnetic field exist which can exhibit the phenomenon of aurora borealis and since the magnetic field strength is less at equator so we can not see this phenomenon near equator.