About Us

Aurorasaurus is a participatory science project that uses volunteer reports to generate a real-time, global map of the Northern and Southern Lights. Each report serves as a valuable data point for scientists to analyze and incorporate into space weather models. Aurorasaurus was created by heliophysicist Dr. Elizabeth MacDonald, and the co-PI is Dr. Matthew Heavner of the New Mexico Consortium. The project is supported by a small team, as well as the Aurorasaurus Ambassador Network, Early Career Group, and many volunteers.

Above a lake with silhouetted hills, aurora rises pink, blue, and green, with the green curling into the shape of a heart. — Photo by Aurorasaurus Ambassador Gunjan Sinha, acquired during the May 11, 2024 superstorm from near Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada. This image was featured on NASA Earth Observatory and in the 2025 NASA Science calendar.

Aurorasaurus is a research project that is a public-private partnership with the New Mexico Consortium supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA Science Activation. It was designed by researchers from the New Mexico Consortium, NASA, Penn State University, Science Education Solutions, and Ideum. Development support has been provided by Social Flow and Ensemble Consultancy. Real-time space weather data are provided by the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA. Find out more about how to participate, and be sure to check out our Privacy Policy and Terms. We are grateful to all our past and present collaborators, including many post-docs and students.

Over the last decade, the project has made a number of discoveries and publications.

Space weather can be detected in real time on social media
Auroras can be visible further south than modeling predicts
Building citizen scientist reports into space weather alerts makes them more accurate
Crowdsourced verification of citizen science observations works

In addition, Aurorasaurus collaborated with participatory scientists from the Alberta Aurora Chasers and other scientists on the discovery, analysis, and publication of the subauroral phenomenon STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), an aurora-like phenomenon that appears closer to the equator and flows from east to west.

The mauve band of STEVE crisscrosses the Milky Way in the center of the photo, above a lake. — STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) and the Milky Way at Childs Lake, Manitoba, Canada. The picture is a composite of 11 images stitched together. Image Courtesy of Krista Trinder, featured on the NASA website and in the 2019 NASA Science Calendar.

For Aurorasaurus participatory scientists and friends to enjoy as a community-building initiative, Aurorasaurus has a print-on-demand site where you can get your own logo gear. Items are listed at cost only. Have fun and tag @TweetAurora in your photos!

Find us on social media: Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Blog

If you need assistance, please feel free to contact us at aurorasaurus.info@gmail.com with any questions.