Tracking the energy source behind the northern lights

Dr. Zhonghua Yao (University of Hong Kong) and Dr. Sheng Tian (UCLA) uncovered how northern lights are powered. Their study was published in Nature Communications. By analyzing a decade of data, they found a rare alignment of satellite measurements. The data mapped an aurora’s source, path, and brightness simultaneously. They proved Alfvén waves carry energy from the outer magnetosphere inward. This creates a sharp voltage drop near the poles. This drop accelerates incoming charged particles by a factor of hundreds before hitting Earth’s atmosphere. Yao plans to study Jupiter and Saturn to uncover universal planetary laws.

The full article can be viewed here:

https://croucher.org.hk/en/news/tracking-the-energy-source-behind-the-northern-lights