Space science
What Is Space Weather?
Space weather describes changing conditions in the Sun, solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere that can affect technology and operations near Earth. It i…
Aurora
Browse ScienceInfo articles and explainers related to Aurora.
Topic archive
Articles about Aurora
158 published items.
Space science
What Is a Geomagnetic Storm?
A geomagnetic storm is a prolonged disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by enhanced energy transfer from the solar wind. The most significant storms are often ass…
Space science
What Is a Solar Flare?
A solar flare is a rapid release of magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares can brighten dramatically in X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation and can acceler…
Space science
How Do Scientists Forecast Auroras?
Aurora forecasts combine measurements of the Sun and solar wind with models of Earth's magnetosphere. Scientists are not predicting a fixed light show at a precise stree…
Space science
What Are the Northern Lights and Why Do Auroras Happen?
Auroras occur when energetic charged particles are guided by Earth's magnetic field into the upper atmosphere, where collisions with oxygen and nitrogen produce light. T…
Videos
Video: Aurora Borealis and meteor shower appear simultaneously
The combination of the aurora borealis and the Perseid meteor shower is a rare and spectacular event that leaves many sky enthusiasts in awe.
Oceanography
1,000m tall 'strange object' emerges off California coast
The Saildrone Surveyor ocean mapping mission has discovered a giant, hot, strange object unlike anything seen on Earth before.
Space science
Black aurora appears in the sky over Alaska
An extremely rare black aurora borealis creates an E-shaped swirl of light in this recent image taken over Alaska.
New technology
Commercial aircraft reach supersonic speed
The revival of commercial supersonic flight moves closer to reality as Dawn Aerospace announces the successful breaking of the sound barrier with its Mk-II Aurora rocket…
Photo library
Image of bright aurora during solar storm
A recent solar storm has created auroras that dance around Earth's north and south poles.
Space science
The danger behind the aurora beauty of solar storms
Last weekend, many people in many parts of the world just needed to look up at the sky to see colorful aurora displays.
Computer science
Top 7 fastest supercomputers on the planet
Supercomputers or supercomputers are High Performance Computers (HPC) - high performance computers, with outstanding computing capabilities, far beyond what you can thin…
Space science
Earth's sky flared up everywhere because of the record-breaking 'double explosion'
The Sun's latest blow to Earth suggests it has reached
Photo library
25 most impressive Northern Lights photos of 2023
Photographs of the Northern Lights in locations that have never been recorded before are included in the award
Space science
Unrevealed Facts About Triton - Neptune's Mysterious Moon
Triton is surprisingly similar to Pluto. While this pair may look quite different, they are almost the same size and composition.