Auroras Quiz Review

What are the Northern Lights are also known as?

• Aurora Australis

• The Great Lights

• Aurora Borealis

• Aurora Plasmalis

What are the Southern Lights also known as?

• Aurora Plasmalis

• Aurora Borealis

• Aurora Australis

• Both A and C

The auroras are initially caused by what?

• Mars

• The Sun

• The Moon

• Climate change

What is plasma?

• Liquid in the Sun’s outer layer

• Gas made of electrons and positive ions

• Molten rock

• A very hot gas

What are solar flares?

• Huge eruptions of plasma on the Sun’s surface

• Dark spots on the Sun’s surface

• Areas of increased brightness on the Sun’s surface

• Hot flames on the surface of the Sun

What causes the Earth’s magnetic field?

• The magnetic rock in the Earth’s surface

• The Earth’s rotation

• Earth’s liquid iron core

• Charged ions in the Earth’s atmosphere

Why are the auroras only seen near the poles?

• The Earth’s rotation moves ions from solar wind towards the poles

• There is too much light pollution elsewhere for the auroras to be visible

• The temperature of the air must be cold for the auroras to appear

• Earth’s magnetic field moves ions from solar wind towards the poles

What causes the lights to appear?

• Chemical reactions occur between gases in the ionosphere

• Atmospheric particles release photons to revert to their non-excited state

• Atmospheric gases are ignited by the solar wind

• Earth’s magnetic field causes ions from the solar wind to combust

What causes the different colors of lights in an aurora?

• Different colors are caused only by the type of gas releasing the photon

• Each gas in the atmosphere creates different colors at different altitudes

• Different colors are emitted based on the temperature of the air where the photon is released

• The colors appear to change based on the angle that they are being viewed at

Which of the following does NOT occur in the ionosphere?

• Solar wind excites atmospheric gases with additional energy

• Ions from solar wind are moved towards the poles

• Atmospheric particles release photons to return to a non-excited state

• Light of different colors is produced