Post on 14-Mar-2019
transcript
Near the poles of Earth, observershave often seen glowing cloudsshaped like curtains, tapestries,
snakes, or even spectacularradiating beams.
Courtesy of NASA
Northern Hemisphere observers callthem the Northern Lights orAurora Borealis. Southern
Hemisphere observers call them theSouthern Lights or Aurora
Australis.
Courtesy of NASA
Because most people, and landmasses, are found north of the
equator, we have a longer record ofobserving them in northern regions
such as Alaska ,Canada,Scandinavia, but sometimes as farsouth as the Mediterranean Sea or
Mexico!Courtesy of NASA
An artist’s drawing of THEMIS.Courtesy of NASA
Auroral activity can be observed from theground or from space. For example, in2007, NASA launched five THEMISsatellites aboard a single Delta II rocketfrom Cape Canaveral Air Force Stationin Florida. The THEMIS satellites orbitEarth to monitor auroras, helping usbetter understand what they are andhow they behave.
What do you think these ovals of lightlook like from the ground if you werelooking up at the sky? From space wecan look down at an aurora and seethat it actually looks like a crown oflight! Scientists call this the Auroral
Oval.
Courtesy of NASA
If you were standing on the groundlooking up at the night sky, you
would only see a very small part ofthis halo.
Courtesy of NASA