People are seeing aurora lights in both the north and south hemispheres this weekend. Is that normal? Why are these phenomena centered on the poles?

Question

I have family in the northern US posting pictures of the northern lights. My friends in Australia said their feeds are full of similar pictures. Is it normal for magnetic storms to cause effects in both hemispheres? Why are these effects centered off the poles? I’m not in the viewing circle. I’m jealous.

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

Due to the way the Earth spins, and the way the molten parts of the iron core rotate inside the planet, the magnetic field of the Earth basically funnels solar wind particles to the poles.

https://scitechdaily.com/images/Earths-Magnetic-Field-Schematic-Illustration-777×589.jpg

The particles can basically get past the magnetosphere at the poles, and then spread toward the equator through the atmosphere.