NASA launches sounding rockets into auroras to study atmospheric effects
The interaction of solar winds and Earth's atmosphere produces northern lights, or auroras, that dance across the night sky and mesmerize the casual observer. However, to scientists this interaction is...
View ArticleWhat causes the northern lights?
If you live in the high latitudes, like Alaska, or New Zealand, you've probably had a chance to see an aurora. Here in Canada, we call them the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis, but the lucky...
View ArticleCatch the northern lights with your mobile
Updates on the best opportunities to spot the Northern Lights in the UK are now available on a mobile phone app developed in association with scientists at Lancaster University.
View ArticleFour rockets launched into northern lights to study turbulence
Four NASA soundings rockets were launched within a half hour into the northern lights in an effort to better understand and visualize turbulent air currents in the upper atmosphere.
View ArticleImage: Sounding rockets launch into an aurora
The interaction of solar winds and Earth's atmosphere produces northern lights, or auroras, that dance across the night sky and mesmerize the casual observer. However, to scientists this interaction is...
View ArticleMassive clouds erupted 260km into Martian atmosphere – and no one knows why
Enormous cloud-like plumes reaching 260km above the surface of Mars have left scientists baffled. This is way beyond Mars's normal weather, reaching into the exosphere where the atmosphere merges with...
View ArticleSending a rocket through the northern lights
The combination of American electron clouds and Norwegian northern lights spells trouble for navigation and communication in the Northern regions. The ICI4 rocket will provide knowledge that can help...
View ArticleGreen and red auroras light up St. Patrick's day dawn
A strong G3 geomagetic storm surged across the planet this morning producing a spectacular display of the northern lights. Some of you may who may have risen to see the new nova were no doubt as...
View ArticleImage: Auroral curtain reflected in a placid Icelandic lake
This dramatic panorama shows a colourful, shimmering auroral curtain reflected in a placid Icelandic lake. The image was taken on 18 March 2015 by Carlos Gauna, near Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in...
View ArticleJapan mulls 2018 moon landing, seeks to keep up with rivals
Japan's space agency is considering an unmanned mission to the moon by 2018 or early 2019, part of an effort to beef up aerospace technology and keep pace with China and other emerging powers.
View ArticleBig solar storm smacks Earth, may allow more to see auroras
A severe solar storm slammed Earth on Monday afternoon, increasing the chances of fluctuations in the power grid and GPS. It also pushes shimmering polar auroras to places where more people can...
View ArticleSpace weather warning system scans our skies for solar storms
Physicists from Trinity College Dublin have developed a space weather warning system to help safeguard electricity and communications systems from solar and geomagnetic storms.
View ArticleNorthern Light secrets uncovered thanks to social networking tools
New research led by physicists at the University of Warwick has used tools designed to study social networks to gain significant new insights into the Northern Lights, and space weather – particularly...
View ArticleImage: Taurid meteor captured against Northern lights
ESA organises regular rocket launches together with the Swedish Space Corporation from northern Sweden in Esrange, Kiruna. The 13th Maser campaign saw experiments being carried 270 km up for six...
View ArticleMeteor suspected as mystery flash lights up Scottish sky
Scientists say a meteor was the cause of a bright flash of light reported by people across Scotland and northern England.
View ArticleSwaths of Britain, Germany treated to northern lights
Parts of Britain and Germany have been treated to a display of the northern lights, a colorful phenomenon that is usually only seen further north.
View ArticleComet 252P/LINEAR soars into predawn view this week
Astronomers who scan the skies for returning comets are often disappointed. Sometimes these icy visitors from the fringes of our planetary system end up being much fainter than predicted.
View ArticleLaunching a swarm with rockets to find the cause of GPS chaos
Solar storms can paralyse modern communications. Researchers will now launch a swarm with rockets to find out why. Their goal is to develop better space weather forecasts.
View ArticleUK anti-fracking groups to fight on after landmark decision
Campaigners in Britain said Tuesday they would take their fight against fracking national after the first scheme since 2011 was given the green light.
View ArticleHow can you see the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights have fascinated human beings for millennia. In fact, their existence has informed the mythology of many cultures, including the Inuit, Northern Cree, and ancient Norse. They were...
View ArticleBeautiful green 'airglow' spotted by aurora hunters – but what is it?
Amateur astronomers and aurora hunters alike have been reporting a green glow across the UK sky. Easily confused with the aurora borealis, or northern lights, the sightings were of another phenomena...
View ArticleImage: Northern lights over Canada
Just hours after the winter solstice, a mass of energetic particles from the Sun smashed into the magnetic field around Earth. The strong solar wind stream stirred up a display of northern lights over...
View ArticleBritain to lose Northern Lights due to solar winds of change
Britain may lose the magic of the Northern Lights by the middle of the century due to major shifts in solar activity, scientists have discovered.
View ArticleDon't panic—the northern lights won't be turning off anytime soon
The northern lights are nature's very own magnificent light show. They are the mesmerising end result of electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with the Earth's upper atmosphere. Though...
View ArticleStargazing keeps tourism looking up
With urbanisation gaining pace and air pollution clouding the view in major cities, contemplating the stars in a pitch-black sky is fast becoming a rarity that tour operators are banking on as a new...
View ArticleNew research on Northern Lights will improve satellite navigation accuracy
Researchers at the University of Bath have gained new insights into the mechanisms of the Northern Lights, providing an opportunity to develop better satellite technology that can negate outages caused...
View ArticleA round-trip flight just for the view—the Southern Lights
They took an eight-hour flight just to look out the airplane's window, but it was an extraordinary view.
View ArticleImage: Mimas over Saturn's north pole
From high above Saturn's northern hemisphere, NASA's Cassini spacecraft gazes over the planet's north pole, with its intriguing hexagon and bullseye-like central vortex.
View ArticleMathematical model confirms the hypothesis of the origin of auroral sounds
The video is grainy and the sound is scratchy. However, "Clap Sounds of Northern Lights?" is No. 1 on Aalto's YouTube channel with almost a quarter-million views.
View ArticleImage: Northern Lights over Canada from the ISS
The spectacular aurora borealis, or the "northern lights," over Canada is sighted from the International Space Station near the highest point of its orbital path. The station's main solar arrays are...
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