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Scientists find trigger for Northern Lights
Scientists say they have discovered what makes the northern lights dance.
Researchers working on a NASA mission to understand the interplay of magnetic fields and charged particles blown outward from the Sun have identified the trigger for the colorful electrical storms in the polar regions. They hope this is a step in developing reliable forecasts of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt satellites in orbit and power grids on the ground.
The findings appeared in an article published Thursday on the Web site of the journal Science.
Scientists have long known that the dancing auroras of color known as the northern and southern lights are generated by charged particles flying from the Sun and interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field, which is then pulled into a windsock shape by the solar wind.
Turbulent storms on the Sun generate extremely bright auroral displays, but even in quieter times, smaller events known as substorms still generate the lights.
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More and an interesting little video at link. Scientists say they have discovered what makes the northern lights dance. ... more -
Mysterious Northern Lights Understood
People have long marveled at the majestic and mysterious northern lights that light up the skies over the polar regions of countries like Canada and in Scandinavia. Scientists have known for years that these undulating auroras are caused by a storm of charged particles high above Earth. And although a sight to behold, the forces triggering these lights can endanger satellites and air travelers near the poles. But researchers were in the dark about just what forces acted on these so-called magnetic substorms to produce the shimmering lightshows that dazzle us—until now.
Scientists have debated for decades whether local electrical disruptions in Earth's magnetic field or far-flung happenings in the so-called magnetotail (the tapering region of the magnetic field that points away from the sun) lead to the flare-ups of these substorms and their associated auroras.
Researchers say they were able to pinpoint the source by using measurements of magnetic fields recorded by five satellites that were sent into space as part of NASA's THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) project, which is designed to track "space weather" events called substorms as they unfold. The answer: these substorms form when Earth's magnetic field lines collapse on each other, showering the upper atmosphere with captured radiation from the sun where it sparks the auroras primarily over Earth's polar regions known as the northern and southern lights (aka the aurora borealis and aurora australis, respectively).
"Charged particles from the sun blow up Earth's magnetic tail like a balloon, and then for some reason the balloon leaks," says study co-author Stephen Mende, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley.
You can read more by clicking the link- it's a multi page story or by visiting the links below
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=:ePkh8BM9E2...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=:ePkh8BM9E2...
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=:ePkh8BM9E2...
Please join the conversation by commenting below. People have long marveled at the majestic and mysterious northern lights that light up the skies over the polar regions of countries l... more -
Scientists solve Aurora Borealis mystery
"The multicolored aurora borealis and aurora australis - the Northern Lights and Southern Lights - represent some of Earth's most dazzling natural displays.
Now scientists using data from five NASA satellites have learned what causes frequent auroral flare-ups that make this green, red and purple lightshow that shimmers above Earth's northernmost and southernmost regions even more spectacular.
Writing in the journal Science, the scientists said on Thursday that explosions of magnetic energy occurring a third of the way between Earth and the moon drive the sudden brightening of the Northern Lights and Southern Lights.
There had been debate among scientists dating back decades about what triggers these auroral flare-ups.
The findings from the THEMIS satellites and a network of 20 ground observatories in Canada and Alaska confirmed that it is due to a process called "magnetic reconnection."
Auroral displays are associated with the solar wind - electrically charged particles continuously spewing outward from the sun. Earth's magnetic field lines reach far out into space as they store energy from the solar wind.
The researchers said that as two magnetic field lines come close together due to the storage of energy from the sun, a critical limit is reached and the lines reconnect, causing magnetic energy to be turned into kinetic energy and heat. The release of this energy sparks the auroral flare-ups."
Also read: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/0807241503...
Picture: http://flickr.com/photos/jonragnarsson/2242629990/ "The multicolored aurora borealis and aurora australis - the Northern Lights and Southern Lights - represent some of Earth's... more -
2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit at Northern Michigan University: Proposal deadlin...
Call for Proposals: NMU 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit
EXTENDED DEADLINE!
Northern Michigan University is seeking presentation proposals for the 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit to be held at NMU April 22-23.
This summit is made possible by the Center for Native American Studies, the Environmental Science Program and the Office of International Programs.
This summit will function as a call to action on Indigenous environmental issues in the Great Lakes area, on Turtle Island and around the world.
An Aboriginal Australian delegation from the Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project will be featured as keynote presenters and will provide musical entertainment.
http://www.tkrp.com.au
Presentations should ultimately include ideas on how to address Indigenous environmental concerns. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following.
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge (T.E.K.)
- Education and Indigenous environmental concerns
- History of industrialism, industrial threats, Indigenous peoples and the Earth
- Economic globalization and Indigenous peoples
- Indigenous languages and the Earth
- Solutions in Indigenous cultures to environmental problems
- Indigenous subsistence rights and protection of sacred land
- Global poisoning and the impact on Indigenous peoples
- Climate change and its impact on Indigenous peoples
A variety of presentations are encouraged (music, art, films as well as papers and panels).
Activists, Native elders and Native community members are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.
Proposals should be 150-300 words in length. Deadline for submissions has been extended to Monday, March 17, 2008.
Send to:
cnas@nmu.edu
(attachments should only be in Microsoft Word or as a PDF)
Subject line: Indigenous Earth Day Summit Proposal
-or-
Center for Native American Studies
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave
Marquette, MI 49855
For more information call 906-227-1397
http://www.nmu.edu/nativeamericans Call for Proposals: NMU 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit EXTENDED DEADLINE! ... more -
Remote Canada Town Hub For Aurora Borealis Seekers
People travel from all over the world to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis as it is known. A coming together of solar protons and electrons that brings us a beautiful painting with the sky as its canvass. One of the wonderful natural phenomenons on the planet, and one that surely can raise the spirit, inspire love, and give us hope. People travel from all over the world to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis as it is known. A coming together of... more
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Northern lights' energy source found
Scientist believe the "energy comes from a stream of charged particles from the sun flowing like a current through twisted bundles of magnetic fields connecting Earth's upper atmosphere to the sun." Scientist believe the "energy comes from a stream of charged particles from the sun flowing like a current through twisted bundle... more
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Hope for Wildlife
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