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Ejection
The surface of the sun is littered with areas of instability called coronal holes. These areas are darker and cooler than the rest of the sun, and their magnetic filaments allow plasma to be spewed into space. These mass ejections are classified by strength, with X-class flares being the strongest, followed by M, C, B and A class flares. Each category is further divided into nine more classes. These flares send protons, electrons and heavy nuclei away from the sun at speeds in excess of 700 km per second, and they occasionally cross paths with the Earth.
Collisions
The material thrown from the sun can collide with the Earth's magnetosphere. Electrons collide with atoms in the earth's atmosphere with tremendous energy, causing the atom's valence electron to become excited and jump up to a higher energy level. When the atom becomes de-excited, it will release a photon as it moves back to its previous energy level, and the cumulative effect of many photons being released will be visible in certain latitudes.
Magnetic Fields
The Earth's magnetic field plays an important role in buffeting solar winds. When a solar wind hits the earth, the planet's magnetic field reacts by energizing charged particles in the atmosphere. Because these particles are not neutrally charged. they will align with the magnetic field lines of the earth's magnetic field. The change in the magnetic field is measured by magnetometers around the globe, and is assigned a value based on the size of the fluctuations. This is known as the K-index, and it can range from 0 to 9. According to Spaceweather.com, when the K-index reaches 6, it is considered to be a geomagnetic storm, and aurora have a good chance of appearing at high latitudes.
Latitudes
Auroras are most often visible at extreme latitudes close to the Earth's poles, though they can be visible near the tropics if conditions are ripe. If the planetary K-index is high and the strength of the solar flare is sufficiently large, along with a strong solar wind hitting the planet at night, aurora will likely be on display in the arctic and antarctic skies. The aurora's colors can range from green to purple to red, depending on the mixture of elements being bombarded by the solar wind.