EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• plasma: a type of gas with charged particles
• collide: to run into something
• atmosphere: the layer of gases around a planet
• gas giant: a type of large planet that is mostly made of gas
• ultraviolet: a type of light that is invisible to humans
• solar: relating to the sun

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

Auroras are bright that appear in the sky over the North and South Poles. They are commonly known as northern and southern lights. Auroras occur when particles of plasma shoot out of the sun and collide with in the Earth’s atmosphere. Different types of gas can create different colours of light. Oxygen creates green light, while nitrogen creates violet light. Auroras on other often have different colours because of the different gases that are in their atmospheres. On gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, auroras are ultraviolet. Although auroras are nice to look at, they can also be . The solar particles can cause damage to technology on Earth. Scientists hope to learn more about auroras so that they can prevent possible problems in the future.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20497″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Can you see auroras where you live? Would you ever travel to see them?

Transcript

Auroras are bright lights that appear in the sky over the North and South Poles. They are commonly known as northern and southern lights. Auroras occur when particles of plasma shoot out of the sun and collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Different types of gas can create different colours of light. Oxygen creates green light, while nitrogen creates violet light. Auroras on other planets often have different colours because of the different gases that are common in their atmospheres. On gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, auroras are ultraviolet. Although auroras are nice to look at, they can also be dangerous. The solar particles can cause damage to technology on Earth. Scientists hope to learn more about auroras so that they can prevent possible problems in the future.