The Northern Lights have fascinated people for thousands of years but how they are created has not been proven until now, scientists say. In a new study, published in the Nature Communications journal, physicists report evidence that the most brilliant auroras are produced by powerful electromagnetic waves during geomagnetic storms. The phenomena, known as Alfven waves, accelerate electrons toward Earth, causing the particles to produce the light show which fills the sky in high-latitude regions. The theory was supported by spacecraft missions that frequently found Alfven waves travelling towards Earth above auroras. “These experiments let us make the key measurements that show that the space measurements and theory do, indeed, explain a major way in which the aurora are created.”

Source: Irish Independent June 08, 2021 00:56 UTC