The Earth’s magnetic field in action
Northern lights (aurora borealis) in Canada.
Northern lights (aurora borealis) in Canada.
The Earth’s magnetic field plays a really important role in protecting everyone from the Sun’s solar winds, which consist of streams of charged particles that emit radiation. The Earth’s magnetic field, high above the planet’s surface in an area known as the magnetosphere deflects these dangerous rays keeping us safe from harm.
A beautiful and stunning result of these charged particles emitted by the Sun colliding with the magnetosphere is the Aurora Borealis or northern lights. The auroras are created by the electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gaseous atoms in the magnetosphere causing them to give off light.