Auroras happen when streams of charged particles from the Sun, carried by the solar wind or released during solar storms, spiral along Earth’s magnetic field lines and crash into atoms high in our atmosphere. These collisions excite the atoms and molecules, and when they relax back to their normal state, they release photons. The colour of each photon depends on the gas involved and the altitude of the interaction.

Green aurora comes from oxygen around 557.7 nm, produced ~100–150 km above the ground.

Red aurora comes from high-altitude oxygen emitting at 630.0 nm, usually above ~200–300 km.

Purple and violet aurora arise from nitrogen molecules (N₂⁺) emitting bands in the 390–430 nm region.

Because the atmosphere changes with height, density, composition, and available oxygen vs. nitrogen, each colour paints a different part of the sky. Auroras in the Northern Hemisphere are called aurora borealis, and in the Southern Hemisphere, aurora australis.

In this simulator you can recreate those layers yourself.
The Kp index slider controls how far down the sky the aurora is allowed to reach, just like real geomagnetic activity pushing auroras toward lower latitudes.

Use Normal, Solar storm boost, or Quiet night to brighten or dim the lights:

> Normal – a typical auroral glow.
> Solar storm boost – stronger particle bombardment → brighter emissions everywhere.
> Quiet night – low activity → soft, fainter aurora.

Mix colours, adjust intensities, and experiment with space-weather conditions to build a scientifically accurate aurora — or your own cosmic artwork.

THIS GAME DOES NOT CURRENTLY WORK AS INTENDED ON PHONES. WE ARE WORKING ON IT! SORRY!