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northern lights

In a snowy landscape beneath bright green bands of aurora, a young person lies in the snow looking up at the lights

Dreams fulfilled and galactic marvels unlocked as the aurora brings people together

This post is the second in our series on the recent Winter Field School. You can read the first post here. The aurora is an awe-inspiring phenomenon that captures the imagination and fascination of people across the world. As a common interest, it brings together many different kinds of experience and expertise.  Likewise, Winter Field… Read More »Dreams fulfilled and galactic marvels unlocked as the aurora brings people together

A group of people, bundled in cold weather gear, smile broadly beneath wispy green bands of aurora

Warmth and awe: Winter Field School students on seeing the aurora for the first time

For many across the world, seeing the aurora is a life goal, something for the bucket list. Realizing the dream of a successful aurora chase can be an awe-inspiring, profound experience. If you’ve seen the aurora, do you remember how you felt the first time you saw it dance?  You’re not alone. In early January,… Read More »Warmth and awe: Winter Field School students on seeing the aurora for the first time

On the deck of a ship, a woman gazes up at a stripe of green aurora.

Searching for Light in the Arctic Night

Guest post by Aurorasaurus Ambassador Dr. Becca Robinson It may not seem ideal to spend the winter months experiencing the bitter cold polar night, but for me, the light far outweighs the darkness. My name is Dr. Rebecca Robinson (you can call me Becca) and over the course of winter seasons 2021 and 2022, I… Read More »Searching for Light in the Arctic Night

Above a rocky coastline, reflected in the sea, a ribbon of bright green light waves just above the horizon. Stretching above it are plumes of bright red light, with the stars shimmering through.

Aurora World Tour—Again!

On October 10-11, 2024, the aurora danced through skies across the globe. The storm was driven by a large, fast coronal mass ejection that had launched directly at the Earth about 38 hours before, and was heralded by a long-duration, very strong X1.8 class solar flare. During both the October and May 10-12 storms, the… Read More »Aurora World Tour—Again!

A young woman with long brown hair gestures joyfully toward a sky filled with green aurora.

A space weather analyst falls in love with the aurora all over again

You never forget your first aurora; it’s an awe-inspiring experience! But not everyone who loves the aurora gets to see it often. One reason collaborations between aurora scientists and aurora chasers are so strong is that each brings different knowledge to the study of the northern and southern lights. Many aurora scientists have not had… Read More »A space weather analyst falls in love with the aurora all over again

Black and white image shows five bands of aurora stretching upward from the mountainous horizon at the bottom center.

Listening for the sound of aurora—in the historical record

A question we often get is “does the aurora make sound?” Observers sometimes note a crackling, rustling, whooshing, or similar noise when they watch aurora, but there has not been a lot of conclusive scientific study and anecdotal reports can be met with skepticism in the scientific community. In this blog post, we dive into… Read More »Listening for the sound of aurora—in the historical record

Aurorasaurus map of North America shows the aurora and reports, with a view line cutting across the southern US. clusters of reports in Texas, Alabama, and South Carolina push sections of the line further south.

What goes into an Aurorasaurus report, and what can we learn together?

Since the May 10-11 aurora superstorm, a frequent question we have received is “what makes a good report? What makes a good photo?” While all reports are amazing, the answer may surprise you! In this post we’ll walk you through things to include, go behind the scenes on how data is cleaned for scientific use,… Read More »What goes into an Aurorasaurus report, and what can we learn together?