Auroras: A Guide to Southern & Northern Lights

Main Guide

Aurora News & Forecasts

NASA: Space Science News
• Aurora Australis Dazzles Astronomers (TImaru Herald)
• Space Craft Films Spectacular Light Show (BBC)

Aurora Forecasts from the University of Alaska
Aurora sightings from the Auroral Activity Observation Network

Aurora FAQ

• What are auroras? (Our self-guided tour)
• Aurora FAQ from Poker Flat Research Center

Upcoming Sun-Earth Missions

The Sun-Earth Connection brings you the Transit of Venus Web site.

Glossary of Terms

Jump to Term

Displayed in pop-up window. Requires a 4.0 version browser. For a printable version click here.

Current Auroral Activity

NOAA POES - North Pole

NOAA POES - South Pole

Extrapolated from NOAA POES Satellite. The image provides an estimate of location, extent, and intensity of the aurora borealis. More images available from NOAA POES Auroral Activity at NOAA SEC.

Extrapolated from NOAA POES Satellite. The image provides an estimate of location, extent, and intensity of the aurora australis. More images available from NOAA POES Auroral Activity at NOAA SEC.

Aurora Photography (more photographs, movies and sounds)

Photograph by Dick Hutchinson©Shot near Circle, Alaska. Forty-eight miles South of the Artic Circle. Visit Shooting the Aurora Borealis for more photos by Dick Hutchinson.	Photograph by Jan Curtis© of a rare red aurora. Shot from Fairbanks, Alaska. Visit Home of the Northern Lights for more images by Jan Curtis.

NASA & NOAA Sun-Earth Missions

FAST
FAST Education And Public Outreach - Learn about the Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer.

UCB/ FAST Home Page - Information about the instrumentation and purpose of the FAST satellite from the University of California, Berkeley.

IMAGE
Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) - The IMAGE satellite studies the global response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changes in the solar wind.

POLAR
Polar- Information about the Polar spacecraft and instruments. The site includes links to real time data.

(more)

Aurora Movies & Sounds

Aurora Movie 1 - ©Dick Hutchinson, movie by D.C. Spensley (748k, QuickTime).

"Listening to the Northern Lights" - From National Public Radio. (RealAudio)

(more photographs, movies and sounds)

Aurora on Other Planets

Hubble Follows Rapid Changes in Jupiter's Aurora - Photos and other information from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Jupiter's Aurora, Connection Between Jupiter's and Earth's Aurora - Dr. John Clarke from University of Michigan. (RealVideo)

Other Aurora sites

The Aurora Page - Links, photos, and other useful information.

The Aurora: Information and Images - Forecasts, photos, links and information from the Poker Flat Research Range.

Classroom Activities

• Thursday's Classroom from Science@NASA. Space weather activities.

• MagNet the NASA IMAGE magnetometer network. Build a soda bottle magnetometer and more.

Project Sponsors

Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum