Bz is the solar wind's magnetic orientation in the up/down direction. Although an Aurora can happen with a positive Bz, a negative Bz is generally better. A negative Bz helps the solar wind grab the earth's magnetic field which can more easily lead to an Aurora. So a negative Bz is ...
When evaluating an aurora picture on my camera’s LCD, I’m often shocked by the colors I see that are not visible to my naked eye. The camera captures a much more vibrant color if you can see even the faintest bit of color with the human eye. I’ve learned to shoot test shots of...
STEVE — Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement — is an aurora-like glow that often accompanies the northern lights, yet is a distinct phenomenon, according to the American Geophysical Union (AGU). STEVE was discovered between 2015 and 2016, not by professional astronomers or physicists, but...
What do auroras tell us about Earth's atmosphere? Auroras tell us many things about Earth's upper atmosphere, including its density, composition, flow speeds, and the strength of electrical currents flowing in the upper atmosphere. These in turn tell us about the Earth's magnetic field, how ...
Credit: CC0 Public Domain The coronavirus pandemic, suspected of originating in bats and pangolins, has brought the risk of viruses that jump from wildlife to humans into stark focus. These leaps often happen at the edges of the world'stropical forests, where deforestation is increasingly bringing...
The northern lights/ auroras are a natural phenomena. There is no guarantee that you will get to see this magical light show and with your desired intensity. But the chances of seeing them are very high when you spend three or more days near Fairbanks. The most important thing is that you...
Yes, though it's less likely as the Blue Lagoon typically closes in the late evening during the winter and early spring, which is often too early to see the northern lights. How long should I stay in Iceland? Iceland's weather can be unpredictable. Because there's no easy way to plan...
In the industrial world, X-ray scanners are often used to detect minute flaws in heavy metal equipment. And X-ray scanners have become standard equipment in airport security, of course. The X-Ray Machine The heart of an X-ray machine is an electrode pair -- a cathode and an anode -...
When this radiation and these particles reach the Earth's magnetic field, they interact with it at the poles to produce the auroras (borealis and australis). Solar flares can also disrupt communications, satellites, navigation systems and even power grids. The radiation and particles ionize the at...
when the land is still dark and without snow, the exposure time is usually the longest. Often a 20–30 sec exposure is a must to produce an image. I took the next photo in October and apart from the Auroras dancing in the skies it was pitch black. It took 25 seconds and some heavy...