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The sun is constantly releasing charged particles out into space (electrons, protons, etc). This is known as the Solar Wind.

Occasionally, a solar flare or coronal mass ejection releases a significant quantity of these particles (millions or even billions of tons of them).

When they impact the Earth's magnetic field, they can cause the magnetic field lines to break and reconnect, which causes the charged particles to rush towards the poles.

When these particles hit the upper atmosphere, they react with the atoms and molecules of the air and cause them to glow with the characteristic colours associated with the aurora.

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13y ago

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