罕见！我国多地出现极光！“极光”的英文是什么？

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12月1日晚，我国北部黑龙江漠河、大庆，内蒙古额尔古纳等地的不少网友拍到了震撼的极光画面。

当晚，“北京极光”话题也冲上热搜，北京怀柔、门头沟区罕见地记录到了极光现象。

极光，英文是aurora [ɔːˈrɔːrə]，是一种等离子体现象，主要发生在具有磁场和大气的行星上。地球上的极光是由于来自磁层和太阳风的带电高能粒子被地磁场导引带进地球大气层，并与高层大气中的原子碰撞造成的发光现象。极光最常见的颜色为绿色，此外还有红色、紫色等。

一般情况下，太阳的高能带电粒子抵达地球附近时，地球磁场会把它们导向地球两极。但如果抵达地球的太阳高能带电粒子特别强，和地球磁场发生相互作用产生特别强的地磁暴，有些高能带电粒子会在中纬度或者低纬度地区进入大气层，就有可能在中低纬度地区产生极光。

To many people's surprise, aurora was witnessed in the outskirts of Beijing on Friday night. According to media reports, this is the second occurrence of aurora in the Chinese capital, which is located at 40 degrees north latitude.

（图源：央视新闻）

On that night, the auroras were observed in high-latitude areas across China, including Heilongjiang province in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia autonomous region in North China. Astronomy enthusiasts captured photos showing the night sky illuminated by red lights.

（图源：央视新闻）

What amazed people the most was that auroras were also seen in Beijing, a lower latitude area. Observers in the Huairou and Mentougou districts of Beijing's suburban areas reported witnessing the auroras.

According to the China National Geographic Channel, this is only the second recorded sighting of auroras in Beijing's history. The previous occurrence was 20 years ago in 2003, as reported by the media.

（图源：微博@中国国家地理频道）

The appearance of auroras is caused by the entry of solar-charged particle streams, known as solar wind, into Earth's magnetic field. These high-energy particles are directed towards the polar regions under the influence of the geomagnetic field. The collision between these particles and atoms in the upper atmosphere near the Earth's north and south poles results in the luminous phenomenon of auroras.

Due to China's relatively low geomagnetic latitude, it is challenging to observe obvious aurora phenomena, even during strong geomagnetic activity.

However, auroras often occur at altitudes of 100 kilometers or even 300 to 400 kilometers, which is high enough to be visible over thousands of kilometers. Therefore, under suitable conditions, it is possible to see auroras in the far northern regions of China, according to the China Weather Network, a website operated by the China Meteorological Administration. Observing auroras in Beijing is considered to be "very lucky."

Reports mentioned that the observation of auroras in multiple northern regions of China this time was a result of geomagnetic storm activity.

While auroras are typically seen in high latitudes, their occurrence range can expand during particularly strong geomagnetic storms. Records indicate that during intense geomagnetic storms, auroras can even be visible in equatorial regions. Therefore, it is possible to witness auroras in Beijing, which is situated at a latitude of 40 degrees, said Zhu Jin, a researcher at the Beijing Planetarium and editor-in-chief of the magazine Amateur Astronomer, according to Red Star News on Friday. There were reports of auroras observed in Beijing's Pinggu district in 2003, as shared by Zhu.

On Thursday, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Early Warning Center of the China Meteorological Administration issued a geomagnetic storm warning, forecasting the possibility of geomagnetic storm activity from Thursday to Saturday. It was predicted that on Friday, a moderate to severe geomagnetic storm, or even a severe geomagnetic storm, could occur, with geomagnetic activity expected to persist until Saturday.

Zhu also noted that while geomagnetic storms can impact shortwave communication, their relatively short duration means the impact on the human body is minimal and can be ignored.

来源 | Global Times，CHINADAILY

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