Uploaded February 2012 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
thegamejar.com presents The Science of Skyrim with Mr Anthony DR.
This phenomenon is of course the natural 'aurora', an event caused by gusts of solar wind hitting a planet's magnetic field. When this happens, the gas in the atmosphere gets all excited, and starts glowing. Skyrim is set in a northern, almost polar location on it's planet (which we know is not supposed to be Earth). So I found it scientifically arousing that Bethesda remembered to include this in the game.
In fact, the science does not stop there. The colour and shape of aurora tells you a lot about the planet. The gasses present in the atmosphere dictate the colour. When we look around our own solar system, we see different colours and shapes around different planets. Skyrim's aurora events are subtly different to the typical ones we see here on Earth, just adding to the feeling that we are truly on another world.
So, on two counts Bethesda did a good job with the aurora in Skyrim. Even if for no other reason than that they look damn pretty!
Full article over on thegamejar.com/2012/02/the-science-of-skyrim
thegamejar.com presents The Science of Skyrim with Mr Anthony DR.
This phenomenon is of course the natural 'aurora', an event caused by gusts of solar wind hitting a planet's magnetic field. When this happens, the gas in the atmosphere gets all excited, and starts glowing. Skyrim is set in a northern, almost polar location on it's planet (which we know is not supposed to be Earth). So I found it scientifically arousing that Bethesda remembered to include this in the game.
In fact, the science does not stop there. The colour and shape of aurora tells you a lot about the planet. The gasses present in the atmosphere dictate the colour. When we look around our own solar system, we see different colours and shapes around different planets. Skyrim's aurora events are subtly different to the typical ones we see here on Earth, just adding to the feeling that we are truly on another world.
So, on two counts Bethesda did a good job with the aurora in Skyrim. Even if for no other reason than that they look damn pretty!
Full article over on thegamejar.com/2012/02/the-science-of-skyrim
