Tag: Auroras

NASA’s EZIE Launching to Study Magnetic Fingerprints of Earth’s Aurora

NeRD

5 Min Read NASA’s EZIE Launching to Study Magnetic Fingerprints of Earth’s Aurora High above Earth’s poles, intense electrical currents called electrojets flow through the upper atmosphere when auroras glow in the sky. These auroral electrojets push about a million amps of electrical charge around the poles every second. They can create some of the largest magnetic disturbances on the ground, and rapid changes in the currents can lead to effects such as power outages. In March, NASA plans to launch its EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission to learn…

Read More

Eclipses to Auroras: Eclipse Ambassadors Experience Winter Field School in Alaska

NeRD

Explore This Section Science Science Activation Eclipses to Auroras: Eclipse… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science   3 min read Eclipses to Auroras: Eclipse Ambassadors Experience Winter Field School in Alaska In 2023 and 2024, two eclipses crossed the United States, and the NASA Science Activation program’s Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Path project invited undergraduate students and amateur astronomers to join them as “NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassadors”. This opportunity to partner with NASA, provide solar viewing glasses, and share eclipse knowledge…

Read More

Red and Green Aurora Move Through Earth’s Atmosphere

NeRD

Peering through the window of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this image on Oct. 7, 2024 of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft as vivid green and pink aurora swirled through Earth’s atmosphere while the International Space Station soared 273 miles above the Indian Ocean. Visit Dominick’s photography on station to experience the wonders of space through his eyes, enriched by his remarkable journey of orbiting the Earth 3,760 times. To see a short-term forecast of the location and intensity of the next aurora check this…

Read More

Aurora over Idaho

NeRD

NASA/Bill Dunford The aurora paints the sky near Malad City, Idaho, red, purple, and green in this May 11, 2024, image. This aurora was sparked by multiple eruptions of solar material—called coronal mass ejections—colliding with Earth’s magnetic field. This interaction with Earth’s magnetic field can spark a geomagnetic storm and send particles from space rocketing down magnetic field lines toward Earth, where they excite molecules in our planet’s upper atmosphere, releasing light and creating auroras. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Dunford

Read More