Northern lights are a big draw for tourists worldwide, and with good reason. By just simply looking up, one sees a bright, multicolored flicker of lights illuming the night sky with colorful and brilliant displays. They are also a perfect example of just how complex nature can be.
Many people ask what the rarest color of the aurora borealis is. The Northern Lights are known for shifting colors, but there's one color that is considered to be rare. Below we'll reveal the answer and quench your curiosity, so let's get started!
Do Northern Lights Appear in Different Colors?
Yes! The color spectrum is of an infinite variety, as it can appear in different shades from red to green or even purple.
Different Aurora Borealis or Northern Light Colors – Explained!
Different theories have explained the diverse colors of the Northern Lights on their causes and occurrences. Nearby surroundings, environmental factors, and several other mechanisms take part in the process. The color and intensity of the Northern Lights depend on which gas is being excited and how much energy is released. In simple terms, an aurora's color depends on which gasses they contain.
What Causes The Colors of The Auroras?
There are five main types of gases present in our upper atmosphere that can cause the aurora to glow: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, neon, and helium. These gases will produce different colors depending on where you're located and what time of year it is.
The Scarcest Color of Northern Light
The rarest color of all is blood or pure red or fabled crimsons. Such colors occur when oxygen atoms react with solar wind electrons at high altitudes between 200 kilometers (124 miles) and 600 kilometers (373 miles) and emit photons. It often happens above 600 kilometers, wherein fewer charged particles are available but enough to produce red colors in a thinner layer of air than green requires. The energy released is in the red part of the spectrum, hence the name "red aurora." These photons travel down through Earth's atmosphere until they reach our eyes at ground level, where we see them as red lights dancing across the sky.
Brilliant, clear violet, and white auroras are also rarer because they need more advanced conditions than just enough charged particles in the upper atmosphere. Conversely, green is the most common color because it dominates the wavelength emitted by nitrogen molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.
Where Are The Best Places To See The Northern Lights?
There are many places around the world where you can see Northern Lights, but some places have better chances than others. In Europe, Iceland is the home to witnessing nature's most spectacular displays and has by far the highest chance of seeing them compared to other places. That's because the country receives plenty of solar activity due to an active volcano that spews tons of charged particles into space every day. In North America, Alaska has some reliable viewing spots, as well as Canada's Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut provinces.
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