Electron precipitation
Okay kiddo, have you ever played with magnets? They have north and south poles that are attracted to opposite poles and repel the same poles. Well, the earth is like a giant magnet too! It has a north and south pole too, but instead of attracting things, it protects us from dangerous radiation that comes from the sun.
Sometimes, the sun releases huge explosions called solar flares. These solar flares release particles such as electrons that come shooting towards earth. The earth's magnetic field protects us from most of these particles, but sometimes the electrons can slip through the earth's defense and enter the earth's atmosphere.
When the electrons enter our atmosphere, they start to collide with other particles like oxygen and nitrogen. This causes the electrons to lose their energy and fall towards the earth's surface in a process called electron precipitation.
Some places on earth, like the North and South Poles, have weaker magnetic fields so they are more vulnerable to electron precipitation. When this happens near the poles, it creates bright lights in the sky called auroras.
So, electron precipitation is when electrons from the sun collide with particles in the earth's atmosphere, lose their energy, and fall towards the earth's surface. And sometimes, it can create beautiful auroras in the sky!
Sometimes, the sun releases huge explosions called solar flares. These solar flares release particles such as electrons that come shooting towards earth. The earth's magnetic field protects us from most of these particles, but sometimes the electrons can slip through the earth's defense and enter the earth's atmosphere.
When the electrons enter our atmosphere, they start to collide with other particles like oxygen and nitrogen. This causes the electrons to lose their energy and fall towards the earth's surface in a process called electron precipitation.
Some places on earth, like the North and South Poles, have weaker magnetic fields so they are more vulnerable to electron precipitation. When this happens near the poles, it creates bright lights in the sky called auroras.
So, electron precipitation is when electrons from the sun collide with particles in the earth's atmosphere, lose their energy, and fall towards the earth's surface. And sometimes, it can create beautiful auroras in the sky!