Aurorae

on Earth

Bruce T. Tsurutani
Senior Research Scientist

Jet Propulsion Labo r a t o r y

P a s a d e n a, Calif o r n i a

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Magnetic Storm Damage
A power station transformer
in New Salem, New J e r s e y ,
which sustained damage as a
result of a magnetic storm i n
1989 is shown in the image t o
the left. A close-up of t h e
damaged copper buses, rated
at 2000 Amps, is s h o w n
below.

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Induced Ground Currents

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 The Solar Wind
An interplanetary “collisionless
shock” on January 10, 1997 i s
identified in the plot to the r i g h t
(indicated by the vertical
dashed line). The shock w a s
detected by instruments on t h e
WIND satellite (shown below).

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 The Magnetosphere

The Earth possesses a magnetic field which extends far out into space. The field
extends through the planet, out from the polar region, around the Earth, a n d
back to the opposite pole. The solar wind (ionized particles along with the solar
magnetic field) is constantly sweeping outward from the Sun and past the Earth,
“pushing” against the Earth’s magnetic field and shaping it into an extended
comet-shaped “bubble” in space (the magnetosphere).

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 Northern Lights

The Aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, results from t h e
excitation of atmospheric atoms and molecules by incoming solar wind particles
(through collisions) and the emission of visible photons when the
a t o m s / m olecules return to lower energy states. The aurora is usually o n l y
visible at high northern latitudes and is too faint to be seen in daylight. There i s
also an aurora at high southern latitudes (the Aurora australis).

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 Red Aurora

This unusual red aurora was observed in Rikubetsu, J a p a n

on October 21, 1989. Photo taken by H. Tsuda.

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 Aurora Viewed from
the Space Shutt l e

This photograph of the southern aurora was t a k e n

from the orbiting space shuttle.

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 Northern Lights

This is a view of an aurora looking directly overhead. Streaks appear because

the incoming particles are guided along the Earth’s magnetic field, which i s
nearly vertical close to the planet’s surface at high latitudes. The color of t h e
lights is determined by the type of atmospheric atoms and molecules with which
the incoming particles collide. Since the atmospheric composition varies w i t h
altitude, the aurora will be different colors at different heights.

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 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
The CRT, a simple version o f
the main component of
computer displays and
television sets, accelerates
electrons and focuses t h e m
into a narrow beam, a i m e d
at a phosphor-coated
screen. The electrons
transfer energy to the
phosphor coating which
emits the absorbed e n e r g y
as visible photons.
Aurora
In a similar manner, energetic
electrons travelling along magnetic
field lines sometimes penetrate t h e
atmosphere and collide with
atmospheric atoms and molecules.
The energized atmospheric particles
return to more stable energy s t a t e s
by emitting energy in the form o f
photons, thus producing the aurora.

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 Horseshoe Aurora

This pair of images illustrates the onset of an auroral substorm. In both images,
local noon appears at the top and local midnight is at the bottom (where t h e
substorm appears). The left image shows the northern aurora prior to t h e
substorm onset and the image on the right shows the substorm onset at l o c a l
midnight. These images were obtained with the ultraviolet imager (UVI) on t h e
Polar spacecraft.

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 Oxygen Ion Transport into the
Plasmasheet During IMF B S Events

The schematic above illustrates the mechanism f o r

solar wind energy transport into the nightside of t h e
magnetosphere. The interplanetary magnetic fields
interconnect with Earth fields.

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 Coronal Mass Ejection

This sequence of images shows a coronal mass ejection

coming out from the Sun on August 18, 1980. The
circular black region at the upper right in each panel i s
an occulting disk which blocks out the intense light f r o m
the solar disk. These images were obtained from t h e
High Altitude Observatory/Solar Maximum Mission
Archives.

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 Magnetic Cloud
The figure to the right shows,
from top to bottom, t h e
interplanetary magnetic f i e l d
z-component and magnit u d e ,
the solar wind velocity,
proton density and
temperature, the H e+ +/H +
ratio, and the D S T index f o r
January 10, 1997. As the B z
values become more
negative, D S T also decreases.
This implies that magnetic
reconnection is the process
causing the growth of t h e
storm ring current and
intensification of the V a n
Allen radiation belt ( DS T
decrease).

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Particle Motions

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 Chorus

INSERT CHORUS
FIGURE

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 Ulysses Solar Wind Observ a t i o n s

The figure above shows the variation in solar wind velocity w i t h

changing heliographic latitude during an interval near solar m i n i m um .
The data were compiled from measurements by the Ulysses spacecraft
which is the first mission to go over the Sun’s polar regions.

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 Coronal Holes

Coronal holes appear here as dark regions on the Sun (as viewed i n
soft x-rays) and are the source of the high speed solar wind. T h i s
image was taken on May 14, 1992 by the soft x-ray telescope ( S X T )
onboard the Japan’s Yohkoh spacecraft.

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 Recovery Phase of a
Magnetic Stor m

Data from IMP-8 with AE and DS T indices in the bottom panels. During the period
shown, whenever the interplanetary magnetic field turns southward (i.e., B z is
negative)there is auroral substorm activity (the peaks in AE) and small ring-
current intensifications (DST decreases).

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 The Solar Probe Mission
Solar Probe will b e
the first spacecraft
ever sent to observe
the Sun close-up. I t
will utilize a n o v e l
heat shield/high-
gain antenna design
to approach within 4
solar radii of t h e
Sun’s center and
measure the n e a r -
Sun environment t o
understand the
physical processes
that cause coronal
heating and the s o l a r
wind acceleration.
The mission is
scheduled for launch
in early 2007, w i t h
the first solar
encounter in 2010.

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