By Laura Edson, MAT in Museum Education When I first joined Aurorasaurus six years ago, I had a steep learning curve ahead of me. I’d struggled with algebra and calculus in high school, I hadn’t touched physics for 15 years, and words like “magnetohydrodynamics” were pretty intimidating. I was able to learn because Dr. Liz… Read More »Making auroras understandable
Guest post by Chandresh “C.K.” Kedhambadi More and more we are asked, “how do I take photos if I can’t go outside?” There are a host of reasons it might be more comfortable to enjoy the aurora through a window, and even some situations where it’s an advantage: for example, flying above the clouds. With… Read More »Chasing the Aurora Home – Photographing the Northern Lights from 35,000 Feet
by Laura Edson, MAT in Museum Education A question we have received more and more at Aurorasaurus is, “Do you have any suggestions for presenting auroras to the public?” The aurora is a really fun topic to share; it is instantly engaging and technically challenging, artistically beautiful and scientifically fascinating. But it can also be… Read More »Presenting Auroras: Three Lessons from Museum Education
What an incredible storm we had November 11-13, 2025! We have been so excited to see the beautiful pictures and thrilling sightings you had from all over the world! We have an amazing community, and we are so grateful for every report. We are also often approached by aurora chasers who ask, “What are you… Read More »A wish list for aurora reports
When chasing aurora, have you ever felt your mindset shift? You might think of it as getting into the zone, or into the groove of the chase. “There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one… Read More »Getting into Flow in Participatory Science
Guest post by Vincent Ledvina, Laura Edson With thanks to Valerie Svaldi for additional input One of the terms you’ll often aurora chasers and scientists use is “substorm.” You might hear it referring to the best parts of an aurora chase, or as something to patiently wait for. But what does it mean, and where… Read More »What is an auroral substorm?
We’re still glowing over May’s auroras, and are excited to welcome those around the world who have newly fallen in love with the Northern and Southern Lights! One of the questions we have been receiving is, “where can I learn more?” Bibliophiles, we’ve got your back. In 2022, we wrote a post about some aurora… Read More »Cozy Aurora Reads
Note: This blog post contains and links to eclipse imagery. The April 8, 2024 eclipse was an amazing experience for millions, and inspired more than 36,000 people to #DoNASAScience! While the solar eclipse is now over, eclipse participatory science projects are going strong. In addition, the Heliophysics Big Year—a global celebration of solar science and… Read More »Helio Big Year: More Ways to Celebrate!
Note: this post contains discussion and imagery of solar eclipses. Few things are as awe-inspiring as the aurora or a solar eclipse. In just a few weeks, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, and provide a rare opportunity to connect with the natural world. In this post, we consider awe and hope to… Read More »Standing in awe of the universe
As loved ones gathered to celebrate the winter holidays, we were thinking about the many relationships between aurora and aurora-like phenomena in the sky. In this post, we introduce the aurora and some of the amazing phenomena related to it, closely or distantly. If you have a photo and wonder which phenomena might be present… Read More »An Aurora Family Reunion