The Journey of the Polar Lights Quiz

What are the northern and southern lights also known as?

• Aurora Maxima and Aurora Minima

• Aurora Majoris and Aurora Minoris

• Aurora Polaris and Aurora Equatorialis

• Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis

What causes the northern and southern lights?

• Collision of high energy particles from the Sun with neutral atoms in the atmosphere

• Collision of asteroids with the Earth's surface

• Eruption of volcanoes in the polar regions

• Reflection of moonlight in the atmosphere

What is the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere called?

• Mantle

• Core

• Corona

• Photosphere

What prevents the solar wind from traveling straight into the Earth?

• Thermosphere

• Exosphere

• Ionosphere

• Magnetosphere

What event overwhelms the magnetosphere and creates a magnetic storm?

• Asteroid impact

• Lunar eclipse

• Solar eclipse

• Coronal mass ejection

What are the excited oxygen atoms responsible for in the northern lights?

• Green and red colors

• Blue and deep red hues

• Yellow and orange colors

• Purple and pink hues

Where are the polar lights best seen?

• Regions close to magnetic north and south poles

• Arctic and Antarctic circles

• Equatorial regions

• Tropical regions

Why is nighttime ideal for viewing the Aurora?

• The Aurora is much dimmer than sunlight and cannot be seen in daytime

• The Aurora is much brighter than sunlight and can only be seen in daytime

• The Aurora is invisible at night and only visible during the day

• The Aurora is visible at all times regardless of day or night