"Space scientists have uncovered the cause of the magnetic disruptions
that instigate auroras, the atmospheric light displays in the polar
regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The finding should
help scientists better understand and predict these energetic
phenomena, which can wreak havoc on electrical components on the ground
and harm satellites and humans in space."
"To find the answers, NASA launched five washing-machine-sized satellites in February 2007. The satellites, collectively called THEMIS, for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, orbit in a spread-out formation to monitor changes in Earth's magnetic field at various altitudes in response to the solar wind. An international team using THEMIS data, recorded during a substorm on 26 February of this year, reports online today in Science that they have deciphered for the first time how substorms form. The good news is that the process allows up to several minutes' warning of the storms' onset."
The Aurora photo was voted 2006 Wikipedia Commons Picture of the Year
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