by . mail on sunday reporter . when high-energy electrons and ions from the sun hit earth 's upper atmosphere , they can excite atoms and create fantastic colours - which we see on the ground as auroras . and now a study has claimed that we could create our own auroras , by firing a particle accelerator into the sky from space . published : . 17:00 est , 15 december 2012 . | . updated : . 17:26 est , 15 december 2012 . the intriguing research says that a beam fired from the machine would create artificial auroras -- and it could even create lightning in the atmosphere . scientists in california have described how to create artificial auroras on earth . they said a particle accelerator could be sent 185 miles -lrb- 300km -rrb- up into space -lrb- illustration of a satellite in orbit shown -rrb- . it would then fire high-energy beams back at earth 's atmosphere . the study , published in the journal of geophysical research , was picked up by mark zastrow from eos . the accelerator being proposed would be three times stronger than anything like it before , producing a beam with particles 0.5 to 10 million electron volts . pulses of the beam would last just 0.1 microseconds . the accelerator would be located in space , 185 miles -lrb- 300km -rrb- above the ground , and would fire back towards earth 's atmosphere . there are two types of auroras on earth - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . auroras occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the earth 's atmosphere at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles -lrb- 32 to 320km -rrb- above the planet 's surface . the interactions between the charged particles give off light . auroral displays appear in many colours : red , yellow , green , blue , and violet . the color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck , and the altitude of the meeting . the common green hue is caused by colliding oxygen molecules at altitudes of up to 150 miles -lrb- 240km -rrb- . it would be based on a instrument called the compact particle accelerator for space science -lrb- compass -rrb- , which is being developed by the slac national accelerator laboratory and sri international , both in california . ` the authors say that employing such instrumentation would offer many scientific opportunities to study the behaviour of particles in the upper atmosphere , ' wrote mr zastrow . ` the paths of the electrons would trace out the arcing field lines of earth 's magnetic field , illustrating how they bend and snap during the intense geomagnetic activity caused by solar storms . ` as they descend into the earth 's atmosphere , some of the electrons would strike atmospheric molecules , producing visible aurora-like emission . ' he added that the beam might even be able to trigger different forms of lightning , including red sprites and blue jets . for now the idea is only a concept , and there are no concrete plans to build it . but the team says that by proving it works , it could be a step towards actually making it . there are two types of auroras on earth - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . shown is the aurora borealis above the snaefellsnes peninsula in iceland . it would not be the first experiment with earth 's atmosphere , though . she cheered him on during the olympics . but come january , presenter clare balding will go head to head with tom daley as the sporting duo host rival reality tv shows . in alaska there is an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- . haarp is jointly funded by the us air force , the us navy , the university of alaska , and the defense advanced research projects agency -lrb- darpa -rrb- . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance . in alaska there is already an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- , pictured . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology . the station regularly uses a tool called the ionospheric research instrument -lrb- iri -rrb- , a high-power radio frequency transmitter facility operating in the high frequency band . it is used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere . diving heartthrob tom , 18 , who won bronze at london 2012 , will star in a new itv reality show , splash ! the five-part series , hosted by vernon kay and gabby logan , pitches 15 unlikely celebrities against each other in a series of dive-offs . haarp has been the subject of numerous unfounded conspiracy theories . it has been blamed for hurricanes , thunderstorms , major power outages and more , but no convincing evidence supports any of the claims . head-to-head : clare balding , left , will go up against tom daley , right , in a reality tv war . but it will be in direct competition with britain 's brightest - 41-year-old clare 's new reality series for the bbc . the knockout tournament hosted by the olympic commentary queen will see 24 contestants tackle a variety of challenges and puzzles . shows in the six-part series will start five minutes before splash ! meanwhile in splash ! stars trained by tom will attempt to impress the judges with backflips , somersaults and pike dives . rumours : towie 's joey essex and girls aloud star cheryl cole are both rumoured to be taking part in splash ! itv bosses last night remained tight lipped over the show 's celebrity line-up , but towie star joey essex , stand-up comedian omid djalili , eddie ` the eagle ' edwards and even cheryl cole are all rumoured to be taking part . cheryl famously asked tom to teach her how to swan dive in a tweet last august . training has begun in earnest and tom has been seen at work with his proteges at a plymouth swimming pool .
clare balding will go head-to-head with diving star tom daley in a reality tv ratings war . tom , 18 , will star in itv show splash ! while clare fronts bbc 's britain 's brightest .
aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . auroras occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the earth 's atmosphere at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles -lrb- 32 to 320km -rrb- above the planet 's surface . the interactions between the charged particles give off light . auroral displays appear in many colours : red , yellow , green , blue , and violet . the color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck , and the altitude of the meeting . the common green hue is caused by colliding oxygen molecules at altitudes of up to 150 miles -lrb- 240km -rrb- . it would be based on a instrument called the compact particle accelerator for space science -lrb- compass -rrb- , which is being developed by the slac national accelerator laboratory and sri international , both in california . ` the authors say that employing such instrumentation would offer many scientific opportunities to study the behaviour of particles in the upper atmosphere , ' wrote mr zastrow . ` the paths of the electrons would trace out the arcing field lines of earth 's magnetic field , illustrating how they bend and snap during the intense geomagnetic activity caused by solar storms . ` as they descend into the earth 's atmosphere , some of the electrons would strike atmospheric molecules , producing visible aurora-like emission . ' he added that the beam might even be able to trigger different forms of lightning , including red sprites and blue jets . for now the idea is only a concept , and there are no concrete plans to build it . but the team says that by proving it works , it could be a step towards actually making it . there are two types of auroras on earth - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . shown is the aurora borealis above the snaefellsnes peninsula in iceland . it would not be the first experiment with earth 's atmosphere , though . she cheered him on during the olympics . but come january , presenter clare balding will go head to head with tom daley as the sporting duo host rival reality tv shows . in alaska there is an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- . haarp is jointly funded by the us air force , the us navy , the university of alaska , and the defense advanced research projects agency -lrb- darpa -rrb- . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance . in alaska there is already an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- , pictured . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology . the station regularly uses a tool called the ionospheric research instrument -lrb- iri -rrb- , a high-power radio frequency transmitter facility operating in the high frequency band . it is used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere . diving heartthrob tom , 18 , who won bronze at london 2012 , will star in a new itv reality show , splash ! the five-part series , hosted by vernon kay and gabby logan , pitches 15 unlikely celebrities against each other in a series of dive-offs . haarp has been the subject of numerous unfounded conspiracy theories . it has been blamed for hurricanes , thunderstorms , major power outages and more , but no convincing evidence supports any of the claims . head-to-head : clare balding , left , will go up against tom daley , right , in a reality tv war . but it will be in direct competition with britain 's brightest - 41-year-old clare 's new reality series for the bbc . the knockout tournament hosted by the olympic commentary queen will see 24 contestants tackle a variety of challenges and puzzles . shows in the six-part series will start five minutes before splash ! meanwhile in splash ! stars trained by tom will attempt to impress the judges with backflips , somersaults and pike dives . rumours : towie 's joey essex and girls aloud star cheryl cole are both rumoured to be taking part in splash ! itv bosses last night remained tight lipped over the show 's celebrity line-up , but towie star joey essex , stand-up comedian omid djalili , eddie ` the eagle ' edwards and even cheryl cole are all rumoured to be taking part . cheryl famously asked tom to teach her how to swan dive in a tweet last august . training has begun in earnest and tom has been seen at work with his proteges at a plymouth swimming pool .
by . mail on sunday reporter . when high-energy electrons and ions from the sun hit earth 's upper atmosphere , they can excite atoms and create fantastic colours - which we see on the ground as auroras . and now a study has claimed that we could create our own auroras , by firing a particle accelerator into the sky from space . published : . 17:00 est , 15 december 2012 . | . updated : . 17:26 est , 15 december 2012 . the intriguing research says that a beam fired from the machine would create artificial auroras -- and it could even create lightning in the atmosphere . scientists in california have described how to create artificial auroras on earth . they said a aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . auroras occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the earth 's atmosphere at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles -lrb- 32 to 320km -rrb- above the planet 's surface . the interactions between the charged particles give off light . auroral displays appear in many colours : red , yellow , green , blue , and violet . the color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck , and the altitude of the meeting . the common green hue is caused by colliding oxygen molecules at altitudes of up to 150 miles -lrb- 240km -rrb- . it would be based on a instrument called the compact particle accelerator for space science -lrb- compass -rrb- , which is being developed by the slac national accelerator laboratory and sri international , both in california . ` the authors say that employing such instrumentation would offer many scientific opportunities to study the behaviour of particles in the upper atmosphere , ' wrote mr zastrow . ` the paths of the electrons would trace out the arcing field lines of earth 's magnetic field , illustrating how they bend and snap during the intense geomagnetic activity caused by solar storms . ` as they descend into the earth 's atmosphere , some of the electrons would strike atmospheric molecules , producing visible aurora-like emission . ' he added that the beam might even be able to trigger different forms of lightning , including red sprites and blue jets . for now the idea is only a concept , and there are no concrete plans to build it . but the team says that by proving it works , it could be a step towards actually making it . there are two types of auroras on earth - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . shown is the aurora borealis above the snaefellsnes peninsula in iceland . it would not be the first experiment with earth 's atmosphere , though . she cheered him on during the olympics . but come january , presenter clare balding will go head to head with tom daley as the sporting duo host rival reality tv shows . in alaska there is an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- . haarp is jointly funded by the us air force , the us navy , the university of alaska , and the defense advanced research projects agency -lrb- darpa -rrb- . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance . in alaska there is already an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- , pictured . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology . the station regularly uses a tool called the ionospheric research instrument -lrb- iri -rrb- , a high-power radio frequency transmitter facility operating in the high frequency band . it is used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere . diving heartthrob tom , 18 , who won bronze at london 2012 , will star in a new itv reality show , splash ! the five-part series , hosted by vernon kay and gabby logan , pitches 15 unlikely celebrities against each other in a series of dive-offs . haarp has been the subject of numerous unfounded conspiracy theories . it has been blamed for hurricanes , thunderstorms , major power outages and more , but no convincing evidence supports any of the claims . head-to-head : clare balding , left , will go up against tom daley , right , in a reality tv war . but it will be in direct competition with britain 's brightest - 41-year-old clare 's new reality series for the bbc . the knockout tournament hosted by the olympic commentary queen will see 24 contestants tackle a variety of challenges and puzzles . shows in the six-part series will start five minutes before splash ! meanwhile in splash ! stars trained by tom will attempt to impress the judges with backflips , somersaults and pike dives . rumours : towie 's joey essex and girls aloud star cheryl cole are both rumoured to be taking part in splash ! itv bosses last night remained tight lipped over the show 's celebrity line-up , but towie star joey essex , stand-up comedian omid djalili , eddie ` the eagle ' edwards and even cheryl cole are all rumoured to be taking part . cheryl famously asked tom to teach her how to swan dive in a tweet last august . training has begun in earnest and tom has been seen at work with his proteges at a plymouth swimming pool .
by. mail on sunday reporter. when high-energy electrons and from hit earth 's upper atmosphere, excite atoms create fantastic colours - which we auroras and now a study claimed we could create our own auroras, by firing from published :. 17:00 est, 15 december. |. updated :. 17:26 est, 15 december. the intriguing research says a beam fired the machine create artificial auroras -- and it lightning. scientists in california described to artificial auroras on earth. they said a particle accelerator sent 185 -lrb- 300 -rrb- up illustration a satellite in shown. it would then fire high-energy beams back earth 's atmosphere. the study, published of geophysical research was picked mark zastrow from eos. the accelerator being proposed would three stronger anything like before, producing a beam with particles 0.5 to 10 million electron volts. pulses of the beam would last. the accelerator would located space, 185 -lrb- 300km -rrb- above fire back towards earth 's atmosphere there auroras on - in, known auroras occur when highly charged electrons from atoms oxygen the earth 's atmosphere at from -lrb- 32 to 320km -rrb- above. the interactions the charged particles give off light. auroral displays appear many colours : and the color the aurora depends which atom struck, the altitude the meeting. the common green hue is caused colliding oxygen molecules at altitudes -lrb- 240km -rrb-. it would based a instrument the compact particle accelerator for space science -lrb- compass -rrb-, being the slac national accelerator laboratory and sri international, both california ` the authors say employing such instrumentation offer many scientific opportunities study the behaviour particles, ' wrote mr zastrow. ` the paths the electrons would trace out the arcing field lines earth 's magnetic field, illustrating they bend snap during caused solar storms ` as they descend the earth 's atmosphere, some the electrons would strike atmospheric molecules producing visible aurora-like emission ' he added that the beam might even trigger different forms lightning, including red sprites blue jets for now the idea only a concept, build. but the team says by proving works, actually. there auroras on - in, known shown is above the snaefellsnes peninsula iceland. it would the first experiment earth 's atmosphere, though. she cheered him during. but come january, presenter clare balding will go head tom daley as the sporting duo host rival reality tv shows. in alaska there an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb-. haarp is jointly the us air force, the us navy the university alaska the defense advanced research projects agency -lrb- darpa it established to analyse the ionosphere - a region investigate the development ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications surveillance. in alaska there already an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb-, pictured. it established to analyse the ionosphere - a region investigate the development ionospheric enhancement technology. the station regularly uses a tool the ionospheric research instrument -lrb- iri -rrb-, a high-power radio frequency transmitter facility operating. it used temporarily excite a limited area the ionosphere. diving heartthrob tom, 18, who won bronze london 2012 will star a new itv reality show splash! the five-part series hosted vernon kay and gabby logan pitches 15 unlikely celebrities against dive-offs haarp has numerous unfounded conspiracy theories. it has blamed hurricanes, more, no convincing evidence supports any head- : clare balding, left, will go up against tom daley in a reality tv war. but will in direct competition britain 's brightest - 41-year-old clare 's new reality series for the bbc. the knockout tournament hosted the olympic commentary queen will see 24 contestants tackle puzzles. shows in will start five splash! meanwhile in splash stars trained tom will attempt impress the judges backflips, pike dives rumours : towie 's joey essex and girls aloud star cheryl cole are both rumoured taking splash! itv bosses last remained tight the show 's celebrity line-up,, stand-up comedian omid djalili eddie ` the eagle ' edwards. cheryl famously asked tom teach how to swan dive a tweet last august. training has begun earnest tom has seen work with his proteges a plymouth swimming pool.
aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . auroras occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the earth 's atmosphere at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles -lrb- 32 to 320km -rrb- above the planet 's surface . the interactions between the charged particles give off light . auroral displays appear in many colours : red , yellow , green , blue , and violet . the color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck , and the altitude of the meeting . the common green hue is caused by colliding oxygen molecules at altitudes of up to 150 miles -lrb- 240km -rrb- . it would be based on a instrument called the compact particle accelerator for space science -lrb- compass -rrb- , which is being developed by the slac national accelerator laboratory and sri international , both in california . ` the authors say that employing such instrumentation would offer many scientific opportunities to study the behaviour of particles in the upper atmosphere , ' wrote mr zastrow . ` the paths of the electrons would trace out the arcing field lines of earth 's magnetic field , illustrating how they bend and snap during the intense geomagnetic activity caused by solar storms . ` as they descend into the earth 's atmosphere , some of the electrons would strike atmospheric molecules , producing visible aurora-like emission . ' he added that the beam might even be able to trigger different forms of lightning , including red sprites and blue jets . for now the idea is only a concept , and there are no concrete plans to build it . but the team says that by proving it works , it could be a step towards actually making it . there are two types of auroras on earth - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere , known as the northern lights , and the aurora australis in the southern hemisphere , known as the southern lights . shown is the aurora borealis above the snaefellsnes peninsula in iceland . it would not be the first experiment with earth 's atmosphere , though . she cheered him on during the olympics . but come january , presenter clare balding will go head to head with tom daley as the sporting duo host rival reality tv shows . in alaska there is an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- . haarp is jointly funded by the us air force , the us navy , the university of alaska , and the defense advanced research projects agency -lrb- darpa -rrb- . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance . in alaska there is already an ionospheric research programmed called the high frequency active auroral research program -lrb- haarp -rrb- , pictured . it was established to analyse the ionosphere - a region of the upper atmosphere - and investigate the development of ionospheric enhancement technology . the station regularly uses a tool called the ionospheric research instrument -lrb- iri -rrb- , a high-power radio frequency transmitter facility operating in the high frequency band . it is used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere . diving heartthrob tom , 18 , who won bronze at london 2012 , will star in a new itv reality show , splash ! the five-part series , hosted by vernon kay and gabby logan , pitches 15 unlikely celebrities against each other in a series of dive-offs . haarp has been the subject of numerous unfounded conspiracy theories . it has been blamed for hurricanes , thunderstorms , major power outages and more , but no convincing evidence supports any of the claims . head-to-head : clare balding , left , will go up against tom daley , right , in a reality tv war . but it will be in direct competition with britain 's brightest - 41-year-old clare 's new reality series for the bbc . the knockout tournament hosted by the olympic commentary queen will see 24 contestants tackle a variety of challenges and puzzles . shows in the six-part series will start five minutes before splash ! meanwhile in splash ! stars trained by tom will attempt to impress the judges with backflips , somersaults
 The text discusses the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, and its scientific explanation. It describes how charged particles from the solar wind collide with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere, causing the spectacular display of colored lights in the sky. The text also mentions the different colors that can be seen during an aurora, including red, yellow, green, blue, and violet, depending on the altitude and type of collision. Additionally, it touches on the history of aurora research and the development of instruments to study this phenomenon.