logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
44 m

What are the Northern Lights?

Melissa and Jam, Bleav
About this episode

#184

That's right, the Northern Lights aren't just cool CGI after all. They're real, but what are they? Why do they occur? And how are they chemistry? Let's find out!

References from this Episode

  1. https://webbtelescope.org/contents/articles/spectroscopy-101--types-of-spectra-and-spectroscopy
  2. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/lessons/xray_spectra/background-atoms.html
  3. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/geomagnetic-storms
  4. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23377-5.epdf?sharing_token=Q0rjm5h2j_KavQboPe5r0NRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Nipe223V5hYGHe-RFuAQXUauChqVoyT7zITbpx_l9I4d9y3fMVLy0n3sVw5SJRoc_II7uBqXU-SzFM3JaTK6_kNmWDs_aEyfCQVLoWqqw15NsYjbFSXvak0yfuKrH76x8%3D
  5. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/10/1004859458/what-causes-the-northern-lights-scientists-finally-know-for-sure
  6. https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/telecons/archive/PR_E-PO/Aurora_flyer/aurora-flyer_p2.doc.pdf
  7. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/reactions/library/what-causes-the-northern-lights-and-where-you-should-see-them.html
  8. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/images/u2/Aurora.pdf
We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!

Thanks to our monthly supporters

  • Ciara Linville
  • J0HNTR0Y
  • Jeannette Napoleon
  • Cullyn R
  • Erica Bee
  • Elizabeth P
  • Sarah Moar
  • Rachel Reina
  • Letila
  • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
  • Suzanne Phillips
  • Nelly Silva
  • Venus Rebholz
  • Lyn Stubblefield
  • Jacob Taber
  • Brian Kimball
  • Emerson Woodhall
  • Kristina Gotfredsen
  • Timothy Parker
  • Steven Boyles
  • Chris Skupien
  • Chelsea B
  • Bri McAllister
  • Avishai Barnoy
  • Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.

Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

 

Up next
Aug 21
What makes fireflies glow?
Melissa and Jam delve into the fascinating chemistry behind fireflies' bioluminescence. They explore how fireflies produce light through a complex series of chemical reactions involving specific molecules like luciferin and enzymes like luciferase. The discussion extends to how t ... Show More
56m 31s
Aug 14
Ask a Chemist: What would be worse, drinking bleach or gasoline? (and other questions)
Melissa and Jam dive into a variety of listener-submitted questions. They discuss the science behind fluffy shave ice versus mainland shaved ice, the effectiveness and safety of ozone treatments for smoke smells, and the potential impact of glyphosate on human health. They also e ... Show More
48m 53s
Aug 7
Why is sweat salty?
Melissa and Jam explore the science behind why sweat is salty. They discuss personal experiences with sweating, the types of sweat glands, and the chemical processes involved in sweat production. The episode explains how osmosis, ion channels, and salt concentrations contribute t ... Show More
37m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Things You Thought You Knew – The Geometric Universe
What is the Sun’s ecliptic? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice break down the things you thought you knew about spheres in the universe, navigating the sky, and taking spacecraft out of orbit. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here ... Show More
53m 56s
Jun 2024
Just Another Really Good Episode with Brian Greene
How do particles get mass? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice discover squarks, sneutrinos, the Higgs boson, and whether dark matter has a particle with theoretical physicist Brian Greene. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: ht ... Show More
56m 35s
May 2024
The Magic of Chemistry with Kate the Chemist
What is chemistry? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice take fan questions on exothermic reactions, PFAS, ice cream, sugar, fire, and more with Kate Biberdorf, aka Kate the Chemist.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:  https://sta ... Show More
42m 58s
Mar 2020
What If We Settled on the Moon? - Guest: Alex Hall
Do you consider yourself a pioneer? An explorer perhaps? Would you "go boldly where no one has gone before" - well, almost no one. And would you stay? With everything from the financial incentives of mining to contingency planning for problems here on Earth to creating a jumping ... Show More
50m 5s
Jun 2024
Sun Explosions with Lika Guhathakurta
Could a coronal mass ejection wipe out all electronics? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen learn about The Carrington Event, eclipses, and how the Parker Solar Probe doesn’t melt with heliophysicist Lika Guhathakurta.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire ep ... Show More
57m 48s
Jun 2024
Cosmic Queries – Space Traveler’s Delight
Is there anything in the universe that is not moving? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice answer fan questions about stillness, humans on Mars, and what songs they would add to the Voyager Golden Record. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial ... Show More
41m 14s
Jun 2024
Aphantasia
Close your eyes and imagine a red apple. What do you see? Turns out there’s a whole spectrum of answers to that question and Producer Sindhu Gnanasambandan is on one far end. In this episode, she explores what it means to see – and not see – in your mind.Special thanks to Kim Ned ... Show More
34m 43s