Spacecraft detect auroral power source
Posted: Fri, Jul 25, 2008, 7:24 AM ET (1124 GMT)
A fleet of NASA spacecraft have helped scientists identify the mechanism that powers the auroral displays known as the northern and southern lights. Scientists used data from the five THEMIS spacecraft to link the aurorae to magnetic reconnection events, when the Earth's magnetic field snaps to a new shape, releasing charged particles. The reconnection events are linked to substorms in the magnetic field, which accompany powerful solar events. These substorms take place about a third of the way to the Moon.
A fleet of NASA spacecraft have helped scientists identify the mechanism that powers the auroral displays known as the northern and southern lights. Scientists used data from the five THEMIS spacecraft to link the aurorae to magnetic reconnection events, when the Earth's magnetic field snaps to a new shape, releasing charged particles. The reconnection events are linked to substorms in the magnetic field, which accompany powerful solar events. These substorms take place about a third of the way to the Moon.
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