An aurora is a natural light display predominantly seen in the polar regions, caused by the interaction between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun. These particles are carried towards the Earth by the solar wind and are mostly electrons and protons. When these charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, they excite the atoms, causing them to light up. The auroras occurring around the north pole are known as Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, while those around the south pole are called Aurora Australis or Southern Lights. These displays can vary in color and complexity, from faint glows to rapidly shifting ribbons of light, depending on the type of gas particles involved and their altitude. This celestial phenomenon is not only a beautiful natural spectacle but also part of the larger space weather system that can affect satellite operations and power grids on Earth.
Scientists discover that interplanetary shocks that strike Earth’s magnetic field head-on cause more powerful ground-level electric currents, threatening pipelines and submarine cables. Auroras are caused…
Space scientists and sky-watchers were treated to a stunning display of the northern lights. The strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years occurred in May…
NASA’s Aurorasaurus project captured images of a major aurora borealis event via ground observers during a significant geomagnetic storm. On May 11, 2024, the day-night…
For the first time, potential signs of the rainbow-like ‘glory effect’ have been detected on a planet outside our Solar System. Glory are colorful concentric…
James Webb Space Telescope data pinpoints possible aurorae on isolated world in our solar neighborhood. Using new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),…
Infrared Emission From Methane Suggests Atmospheric Heating by Auroral Processes Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found a brown dwarf (an object more…
A spate of solar activity produced widespread auroras across Canada. A flurry of solar activity in mid-December 2023 sent energized particles crashing into Earth’s magnetosphere,…
Phenomena called “Steve” and “picket fence” are masquerading as auroras, graduate student argues. The shimmering green, red, and purple curtains of the northern and southern…
In November this year, the northern lights were seen unusually far south, in locations like Italy and Texas. This was due to the effects of…
Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have documented extraordinary, long-lasting radio emissions from a sunspot, offering new insights into solar and stellar magnetic…
Curtains of colorful light danced across the sky after solar storms sent energized particles crashing into Earth’s upper atmosphere. In early November 2023, skywatchers across…
NASA launched the DISSIPATION mission from Alaska to study auroral heating of the atmosphere. A sounding rocket launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks,…
Alaskans and visitors may have the opportunity to observe an artificial airglow in the sky, generated by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), during…
University of Leicester astronomers confirm the existence of an infrared (IR) aurora on Uranus. The presence of an infrared aurora on the cold, outer planet…
NASA’s Electrojet Explorer Mission Passes Critical Development Milestone NASA’s EZIE mission has passed a critical review and remains on track for a launch next year….
On the evening of Sunday, February 26, 2023, a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) arrived at Earth just as a high-speed solar wind stream whipped through…
Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaiʻi have discovered that aurorae at visible wavelengths appear on all 4 major moons of Jupiter:…
Sunspots are usually not a cause for concern, even if they double in size overnight and grow to be twice the size of the Earth…