11/14/2025
Monica Torres Scafidel Brittany Burke-Scafidel
🌌 AURORA COLORS – The Science Behind the Lights
When you see an aurora dancing across the sky, you’re not just watching a light show—you’re witnessing the story of Earth’s atmosphere told through colors. Each shade appears at a different height and comes from a different atmospheric gas. Here’s your quick guide:
🔴 Red
• Appears above 150 miles (240 km).
• Shows up during intense solar activity where oxygen is very limited.
💚 Green
• The most common aurora color.
• Forms up to 150 miles (240 km) high.
• Caused by excited oxygen atoms.
💜 Purple / Violet
• Seen above 60 miles (96 km).
• Created by high concentrations of nitrogen.
🔵 Blue
• One of the rarest aurora colors.
• Appears below 60 miles (96 km).
• Also linked to nitrogen in lower layers of the atmosphere.