如果能引起极光的话将会有更加美妙的景象出现。
And there might be more beautiful views to come if it triggers aurorae.
极光的出现缘于太阳风离子与高层大气中的氧氮原子的碰撞。
Auroras happen when ions in the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere.
随着9月23日秋分的来临，夜晚越来越长，观测北极光的最佳季节开始了。
As the September 23rd equinox approaches, nights grow longer and a favorable season for aurora begins.
蓝色和紫色是来自较轻的气体比如氢和氦，而更低点的氮气能在绿色极光的底部添上红色的边缘。
Blues and purples are created by lighter gases such as hydrogen and helium, while low-level nitrogen can add red fringes to the bottoms of green auroral curtains.
太阳的带电粒子与地球上层的大气相撞，促使氧和氮原子获得能量，然后以极光的形式释放出来。
Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth's upper atmosphere, causing atoms of oxygen and nitrogen to gain energy and then release it in the form of light.
事实上，天空观测者在较南的奥斯陆、加拿大马尼托巴湖和美国的苏必利尔湖都拍摄到了极光的照片。
In fact, sky-watchers were snapping pictures of auroras as far south as Oslo, Lake Manitoba in Canada, and Lake Superior (map) in the United States.
而且，太阳黑子减少并不一定意味着太阳的其它特征的减少，比如日珥——它能产生引起极光的日冕物质抛射。
What's more, a decrease in sunspots doesn't necessarilymean a drop in other solar features such as prominences, which can produce aurora-triggering coronal mass ejections.
这些带电粒子形成的粒子云（又叫太阳风）在14和15日掠过地球磁场，造就了观察北极光的美妙时刻。
The southern part of the particle cloud, or solar wind, grazed Earth's magnetic field on the 14th and 15th, resulting in a particularly good night for aurorae.
引起极光的太阳能量抛射还能引起地磁风暴，能够影响宇航员的太空行走，绕地卫星甚至是地面上的通信和电力系统。
The solar ejections that cause auroras can also create geomagnetic storms that can affect spacewalking astronauts, Earth-orbiting satellites, and even communications and power systems on the ground.
太空气象预测中心的负责人鲍勃·拉特利奇说考虑到太阳风暴的大小，在爱荷华州的南部应该是看不到极光的。
Space weather forecast chief Bob Rutledge said given the size of the solar storm, the lights probably shouldn't have been visible south of Iowa.
在即将出版的《地球物理学研究快报》上，一个研究小组报道说，无线电信号的变化跟土星极光的强度正好一致。
In an upcoming issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a team reports that the variations in radio signal coincide with the intensity of the planet's auroras.
上周哈佛-史密松森天体物理中心的Leon Golub预测8月1号的太阳耀斑产生极光的可能性是一半一半。
Last week Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics had put the odds of the August 1 solar flare producing auroras at about 50-50.
北极光是世界上最著名也是最绚烂的太阳活动现象之一，想要亲眼见证北极光的美丽，人们通常需要去到最遥远的挪威。
It's one of the world's most famous and spectacular solar phenomena, but those hoping to experience the Northern Lights usually have to travel to remotest Norway to witness their beauty.
这里是北极光的世界，艾拉莫先生说，他看见人们在寒冷的夜晚呆在户外满怀希望地仰望星空，由此想出了建造玻璃房的主意。
This is northern lights country, and Mr. Eiramo said he got the igloo idea after seeing people outside in the cold at night, staring at the sky in hope.
他称这场太阳风暴非比寻常，其影响覆盖地球的的速度比预期快了8个小时，然而这段时间恰恰是美国观赏极光的最佳时期。
He called the storm unusual, its effects reaching Earth eight hours faster than forecast. But that timing made it just about perfect for us.
NASA宣称更多的地磁暴发生在春秋两季，在这段时间内，是观察北极光或南极光的绝佳时机(如果你足够幸运的处于一个能够观察到它们的地区！)
NASA says that more geomagnetic storms occur in the fall and spring, and this is a great time for viewing the aurora borealis or australis (if you're lucky enough to be in an area where it's visible!)
那时候离新月到来还有两天，非常适合极光和星空的拍摄。
It was two days before the new moon so the conditions were almost perfect for aurora and star photography.
但是，如果不发生大喷发，地球将不会受磁暴影响，也就不会产生明亮的极光。
But without a large prominence eruption, we will not have a magnetic storm here at Earth that drives the brilliant aurora.
在极光下方隐约可见密集的云层。
“极光”不是个孤立的事件。
相关新闻：“几年内最大的太阳耀斑——今晚很多地方可以看到极光了吗？
Related: "Biggest Solar Flare in Years—Auroras to Be Widespread Tonight?"
在北半球，靠近北极圈的高纬度地区极光更为常见，比如阿拉斯加北部、加拿大、和斯堪迪纳维亚地区。
In the northern Hemisphere, auroras are more commonly seen at high latitudes near the Arctic Circle, such as northern Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia.
挪威的研究人员已经证实，极光在北半球和南半球可以完全不对称。
ScienceDaily (July 24, 2009) —Norwegian researchers have shown that the auroras in the Northern and the Southern hemispheres can be totally asymmetric.
带电粒子与地球磁场相互作用产生了强烈而绮丽的极光，但是它们也有可能是具有破坏性的。
The charged particles interacting with Earth’s magnetic field generate intense and beautiful aurora, but they can also be destructive.
带电粒子与地球磁场相互作用产生了强烈而绮丽的极光，但是它们也有可能是具有破坏性的。
The charged particles interacting with Earth's magnetic field generate intense and beautiful aurora, but they can also be destructive.
因此，科学家们已经开始寻找极光变化的原因。
So scientists have started looking for the cause of the auroral variations.
本星期的空间图片：奇怪的极光、太阳耀斑和其他。
在左面穿透北极光依然闪亮的是著名的北方星座——北斗七星，在右面较远地方闪耀的是更紧凑的昴宿星团。
Brighter stars peering through the auroral glow at the left form the recognizable northern asterism, the Big Dipper. A more compact Pleiades star cluster shines at the far right.
比如，绿色北极光源自于60到120英里(100到200公里)高的氧原子的碰撞。
For example, the green aurora pictured was the result of oxygen-atom collisions about 60 to 120 miles (100 to 200 kilometers) up.
请看情人节太阳耀斑引起的极光照片
See pictures of auroras generated by the Valentine's Day solar flare.
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