Search

Showing results for “Auroras”

Jump to a topic

AurorasAuroras are ethereal displays of light in the atmosphere caused by charged particles colliding with atmospheric gases. On Earth, these particles originate from solar wind—a stream of material ejected from the sun's outermost atmosphere. Like a river flowing around a boulder in its way, Earth's magnetic field deflects most of these particles away, but some are redirected toward the poles, where curtains, swirls, and arcs of light are most prominent. For millennia, auroras had been explained through folklore, such as a Finnish story about a mythical firefox's tail producing sparks in the night sky. In 1619, Galileo Galilei named the phenomenon "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn and the Greek god of the northern wind. The term has since been used interchangeably with "northern lights," while "aurora australis" has been used with "southern lights," when referring to auroras in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, respectively. By the 1920s, scientists identified which gases produce the various auroral colors seen at different altitudes. Although auroras are created year-round by particle collisions throughout the day, solar activity is actively monitored to anticipate the powerful, geomagnetic storms that produce the brightest displays farther from the poles. Travel to destinations where auroras are common (e.g., Norway) drives a tourism industry expected to reach $1.65B by 2030.Explore Auroras
Jupiter

What we've found

View a gallery of auroras from around the worldThe phenomenon results from light emitted by atmospheric gases that become energized when struck by charged particles from the sun. The composition and density of these gases affect the colors produced. BBC Science Focus MagazineAn exoplanet detection method involves measuring a host star's aurorasAstronomers have reported indirectly identifying a planet by observing its debris interacting with the magnetic field of the star it orbits. The interaction is a larger-scale version of the auroras observed on Jupiter, which are produced when material released by its moon, Io, interacts with the gas giant's magnetic field. Quanta MagazineExplore a guide to photographing aurorasUsing a wide aperture and increasing your camera's native ISO to a value between 3200 and 8000, depending on atmospheric conditions, will help capture as much light as possible while freezing the movement of the auroras. The camera should also be kept as still as possible and in environments with minimal weather impediments, such as clouds. Capture the AtlasExcept for Mercury, every planet in the solar system experiences aurorasLacking magnetic fields, Venus and Mars exhibit auroras when the solar wind collides directly with their atmospheres, without deflection. Some particles behind the atmospheric collisions that generate auroras on gas giants come from their moons and the surrounding environments. BBC Sky at Night MagazineAurora-like magenta streaks across the sky may not be aurorasThe phenomenon, known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), has only been observed alongside auroras. Rather than light emitted by gases energized by collisions with ionized particles from the sun, STEVE is a high-velocity, high-temperature stream of particles that glows. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) BBCWatch a 4K time-lapse of auroras seen from the International Space StationThe video was created from 711 photos taken by European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli on Sept. 15, 2017, as part of the Vitality, Innovation, Technology, and Ability mission. European Space Agency, ESAThe strongest recorded geomagnetic storm in history created auroras near the equatorOn Sept. 1, 1859, the Carrington Event—named after the astronomer who observed the preceding solar flare—saw a massive coronal mass ejection strike Earth, disrupting telegraph systems, sparking electrical fires, and reportedly illuminating the night sky enough to allow newspapers to be read at night. Fraser CainCrackling, popping, and rustling sounds have been reported during aurorasAt the altitudes where auroras take place—between 100 and 300 kilometers (62 to 186 miles)—air is not dense enough to efficiently vibrate and carry sound waves to the ground. However, one theory suggests that the geomagnetic energy behind auroras can trigger electrical discharges near the surface, which may be the cause of reported sounds. PBS TerraAurora borealis and auroras australis do not always mirror one anotherWhile the Earth's magnetic field is symmetric across the magnetic north and south poles in isolation, charged particles from the sun distort the field. If the angle of impact between the wave of particles and the Earth's field is such that the distortions are uneven, dissimilar geomagnetic storms and resulting auroras are produced in the northern and southern hemispheres. AGUScientists quantify how far from the poles auroras will be visible using the G-scaleThe Geomagnetic Storm scale indicates the expected severity of the deformation of Earth's magnetic field based on the amount of energy injected by the solar wind. Solar activity is monitored using various satellites to forecast these storms, which can also be used to anticipate damage and disruption to power systems, radio communications, and satellite navigation. NOAAA planeterrella creates artificial auroras in a jarWithin the apparatus, a large metal sphere representing the sun and a smaller sphere representing the Earth are enclosed in a near vacuum. A voltage is established between the two, which draws electrons from the "sun" to the "Earth" to mimic solar wind. A magnet inside the smaller sphere funnels these particles to the poles, recreating auroras. University of LeicesterCoronal mass ejections and solar flares produce the most extensive aurorasThe most intense geomagnetic storms are produced when massive clouds of plasma—ionized gas—are expelled from the sun's upper atmosphere and interact with the Earth's magnetic field. These storms expand where auroras are bright enough to be seen to regions farther from the poles, particularly during peak periods of the sun's 11-year intensity cycle. Kurzgesagt – In a NutshellThe best location to view auroras is within the auroral ovalEarth's magnetic field pushes trapped particles from the solar wind toward the planet's magnetic poles, where they can descend and collide with atmospheric gases in a ring located between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude. Auroras can also be viewed at lower latitudes—the sub-auroral oval and solar storm zones—if the sun produces powerful solar storms. Canadian GeographicAuroras take place all day long, but are too faint to see during the dayBecause the sun constantly emits charged particles into the solar system, Earth's magnetic field deflects them continuously, with a small subset becoming trapped and colliding with atmospheric gases. Daylight, light pollution, and weather prevent the northern and southern lights from being seen most of the time, even for those at higher latitudes. NOAAVoids in the northern and southern lights are known as black aurorasAppearing as dark rings or blobs against the illuminated sky, black auroras occur when there are holes in Earth's ionosphere—the upper atmospheric layer of charged particles created by solar ultraviolet rays. In these gaps—also known as anti-auroras—electrons ascend up into space, rather than spiraling into the atmosphere to collide with atmospheric gases and produce light. IFLScienceEast Asian records of auroras may date back to 10,000 BCEAncient texts from Japan, Babylon, and China contain accounts of auroras dating back millennia. Because auroral activity and intensity are driven by periodic ebbs and flows in solar activity, these records allow scientists to identify patterns that may help anticipate particularly dangerous future solar storms. Smithsonian MagazineInteractions between solar storms and Earth's magnetic field create aurorasSolar storms on the Sun's surface produce clouds of electrically charged particles, some of which make their way to Earth. Those trapped in Earth's magnetic field accelerate toward the north and south poles, colliding with atmospheric atoms and molecules in the process, which produces light. Royal Museums GreenwichHigh solar activity can produce pink and purple aurorasAlthough less common, energetic enough charged particles from the sun that descend to an altitude of about 100 kilometers (62 miles) can strike a mixture of ionized and neutral nitrogen molecules, causing them to emit red and blue light, which our eyes perceive as purple. USA TODAYAurora-related activities drive significant tourism in regions near the Arctic CircleAs the peak solar cycle approached from late 2024 to early 2026, airlines serving countries such as Iceland, Finland, and Canada increased their scheduled flights, with direct flights to Tromsø, Norway, doubling since 2018. The northern lights tourism market has grown about 10% per year and is expected to increase from $941.9M in 2024 to $1.648B in 2030. Grand View ResearchThe intensity of auroral activity approximately follows the sun's 11-year cycleThe density, speed, and temperature of material ejected by the sun are at their lowest at the start of each cycle, resulting in weaker interactions with Earth's magnetic field and muted, diffuse auroras. While the average solar wind speed is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) per second, the fastest winds can be more than three times faster. Space.comView a gallery of various auroral shapesAuroras can be generally classified as discrete (well-defined shapes) or diffuse (hazy shapes), with light taking various forms, including curtains, arcs, pillars, and rays. Some auroras can also pulsate, particularly after intense periods of auroral activity are winding down. See the AuroraThe scientific name for northern lights came from two Greco-Roman godsAlthough cave paintings may have depicted them millennia earlier, one of the oldest known references to auroras is a Babylonian cuneiform tablet from about 600 BCE. In 1619, Galileo Galilei named the phenomenon in the northern hemisphere "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn—Aurora—and the Greek god of the north wind—Boreas. ThoughtCoAuroral myths include Valkyries, firefoxes, and torchlight from giants fishing at nightIn Norse mythology, the light displays were considered reflections from the Valkyries' armor as the female warriors brought the souls of heroes to Valhalla. In Finland, firefoxes were thought to move so fast that they created sparks in the sky as their tails brushed against mountains. HurtigrutenSolar activity and the density and chemical composition of the air affect auroral colorsOxygen atoms can emit red and green light when energized by collisions with the solar wind, but red takes longer to be emitted and is disrupted by bumping into other molecules. This causes red light to appear at higher altitudes, where the air is less dense. Higher-energy solar wind can penetrate to lower altitudes and collide with more abundant ionized nitrogen, which produces blue light. Time and DateThe sun and Earth's liquid outer core help create the northern and southern lightsEarth's magnetosphere, generated by the movement of molten iron deep within the planet, consists of a magnetic field that deflects charged particles north and south. Some of the particles released by the sun in the solar wind become trapped in this field and are propelled toward the poles, where they produce auroras through collisions with atmospheric particles. Be SmartMovement of molten metal around its solid inner core creates Earth's magnetic fieldAccording to the geodynamo process, the rotation of the planet and the looping, convective flow of electrically conductive iron and nickel produce dynamic electric currents, which generate a self-sustaining magnetic field. This is unlike natural, stationary magnets, which possess a static field created when the metal cooled and its atoms aligned with Earth's magnetic field. The Rest Is ScienceScientists have tested atmospheric models by firing rockets into the aurora borealisFunctioning like components of a CT scan, the missiles transmit signals that can be used to identify charged particles and electromagnetic currents in slices. The slices are then combined to construct a computer-based model of Earth's atmospheric structure, which is used to compare the accuracy of physics-based models. PBS TerraThe sun emits a continuous stream of plasma known as the solar windComposed of charged particles—electrons and ions—the solar wind is deflected around the Earth by the planet's magnetic field. More powerful solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections, are short-lived but produce huge clouds of plasma that disrupt technology upon reaching Earth. The ConversationExplore a gallery of astronomical images curated by the European Space AgencyThe collection includes illustrations and images of aurorae, planets, stars, galaxies, stellar nurseries, star clusters, exoplanets, quasars and black holes. Mission photography of astronauts, shuttles and telescopes is also featured. ESAExplore the Earth at night from spaceSee the planet in all its luminosity with this NightEarth app, an interactive spherical globe showing real satellite imagery of Earth. Toggle between views of real-time clouds, aurora borealis activity, and more. NightEarthESA’s Juice and NASA’s Europa Clipper will search for habitability near JupiterThree of Jupiter’s moons—Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto—possess subsurface oceans that may support life. While Clipper will perform flybys of Europa, Juice will be the first spacecraft to orbit a moon in the outer Solar System. ESANASA's James Webb Space Telescope captures enormous aurora displays on JupiterThe auroras flicker faster and brighter than those seen on Earth. This contrasts with earlier predictions that the lights would fade slowly over several minutes, providing insights into how Jupiter's magnetosphere operates. James Webb Space TelescopeA basic camera setup or a phone is enough to capture stunning aurora photosAuroras result from solar particles interacting with atmospheric elements. This article provides tips on improving the quality of aurora photos taken with simple equipment and the best times and locations to yield better photos. The Planetary SocietyPerseverance captures an aurora on MarsThe Perseverance rover captured the first visible Martian aurora, offering insights into Mars's atmospheric interactions. A coronal mass ejection likely triggered the aurora since the planet lacks a global magnetic field. ScienceNewsExplore a gallery of space-based images and animations of EarthThis collection compiles shots of well-known locations, such as US national parks, and natural features, including aurora borealis and fall foliage, to provide a high-level view of Earth's surface. NASAView a diagram of Earth's atmosphere, which is composed of five layersStarting from the surface, the troposphere is home to Earth's weather, followed by the stratosphere, which houses the ozone layer, and the mesosphere, which burns up most debris from space. Above these layers lies the thermosphere, where auroras are produced, and the exosphere, which lacks a clear outer boundary as it fades into outer space. UCAR Center for Science EducationPhotographer catches stunning shot of an aurora over an Icelandic waterfallPhotographer Cari Letelier captured a stunning shot of the aurora borealis over the Godafoss waterfall in Iceland, a composite image pulled from nearly three dozen exposures. The aurora phenomenon is typically visible in Earth's northern latitudes... NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration