Daniel Shen '27
The sky is a stage full of many shows, from the awe-inducing eclipses, to the ever-heartwarming rainbows. Yet there is one show during the absence of light that is the most spectacular to see: the Aurora Borealis. Strips of vibrant colors covers the night sky, moving in a lively dance as if they are controlled by the Gods. In fact, many ancients do ascribe the lights to supernatural deities, and many story still remains and captivates one when they are amazed by such supernatural force. Yet the scientific cause of Aurora Borealis was, for a long time, a mystery. It was until a young girl, captivated by this grand show, set out to find its cause, did we now learn the actors that played in these dazzling lights.
That girl was the young Joan Feynman. She was an inquisitive child, filled with the desire to explore nature. However, her mother and grandmother both discourage her pursue of science, as they believed that the woman’s brain is not intelligent enough to comprehend scientific concepts. In spite of the family’s objection, Joan’s brother, Richard Feynman, always encouraged Joan to be curious and explore the universe. It was him who led her to her first sighting of the Aurora, at the age of 5, where they witnessed the northern light dancing above and empty golf course near their house. As the two child expand their curiosity, Richard Feynman took fundamental physic to a new dimension and became a Nobel prize winner with a popularity that rivals Einstein, and Joan achieve her dream of deciphering the Auroras and deliver this mystery finally to the hand of science.
Joan graduated with a PhD in solid state physics from Syracuse University in 1958. Soon after, she began to investigate the cause of those polar light shows. During her career, she has authored and co-authored more than 185 papers, ranging from “discovering the shape of the Earth’s magnetosphere and identifying the origin of auroras to creating statistical models to predict the number of high-energy particles that would collide with spacecraft over time.” (American Physical Society) In 1974, she became the first woman ever to be elected as an officer of the American Geophysical Union, and in 2000 she was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.
Sadly, Joan Feynman passed away in 2020 due to a heart failure in Ventura, CA. She was 93.
So how do these magnificent phenomena occur? From satellite data over the course of 14 years, a strong correlation was found between the intensity of geomagnetic activity, like
Auroras, and the speed of the charged particle radiating from the sun, also known as solar wind. It turns out that when the solar wind hit Earth’s magnetosphere, most of those particles are deflected, yet some become trapped inside our atmosphere and collides with the oxygen and nitrogen in our air. And the energy created through that collision is released as a form of visible light for us to enjoy; the green is from oxygen and the blue is from nitrogen.
The next time you are in luck to be in presence of an Aurora, be curious, and give thanks to Feynman for discovering the actors of humanity’s favorite show.
Work cited:
“Joan Feynman Died on July 22nd.” The Economist. Accessed November 7, 2024. https://www.economist.com/obituary/2020/09/17/joan-feynman-died-on-july-22nd.
Joan Feynman 1927–2020 | american physical society. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.aps.org/archives/publications/apsnews/202008/feynman.cfm.
“Nerdfighteria Wiki - How Joan Feynman Demystified Auroras: Great Minds.” How Joan Feynman Demystified Auroras | Great Minds. Accessed November 7, 2024. https://nerdfighteria.info/v/MPMgrH_DhDw/.