TELEVISION IN THE SKY

A Cathode Ray Tube and Aurora Creation Analogy

Particle Interaction and Ionization

The Aurora in the Sky  The Image on Your Television Screen

The earth's ionosphere contains charged atoms and molecules.  When energetic electrons or ions collides with these charged particles energy is absorbed and they become excited.  Eventually, the atom loses its excitement by putting the extra energy into a burst of light, called a "photon". The color of the light produced by the photon depends on the type of atom or molecule struck.  It also depends on the amount of energy it receives from the collision with the electron or ion.

When an electron beam collides with these phosphors, they glow according to their color.  All the colors of the spectrum can be produced when these colors are added together in varying amounts.

As the sweeping electron beam hits the various colored dots, an image which you see as a picture is formed.

For more information on how CRT's work, visit http://www.pctechguide.come/06crtmon.htm

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