Difference between revisions of "Auroral Zone"
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Latest revision as of 16:00, 30 March 2007
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Auroral Zone
A roughly circular band around either
geomagnetic pole
above which there is a maximum of auroral activity. It lies about
10 to 15° of
geomagnetic latitude from the geomagentic
poles.
The auroral zone broadens and extends equatorward during
intense auroral displays. The northern auroral zone is centered
along a line passing near Point Barrow, Alaska, through the lower
half of Hudson Bay, slightly off the southern tip of Greenland,
through Iceland, northern Norway and northern Siberia. Along this
line auroras are seen on an average of 240 nights a year. The
frequency of auroras falls off both to the north and to the south
of this line but more rapidly to the south. The most severe blackouts
occur in the auroral zone.
References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
