Aurora is a geomagnetic and atmospheric optical phenomenon arising from the interaction of charged particles, primarily electrons and protons from the solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, with atoms and molecules in a planet’s upper atmosphere. Guided by magnetic field lines into high-latitude auroral ovals, these particles precipitate and undergo collisional excitation and ionization of atmospheric species such as oxygen and nitrogen. Subsequent radiative de-excitation produces characteristic emissions, notably green and red lines of atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen bands, forming dynamic structures including arcs, curtains, and patches whose morphology and intensity are modulated by magnetospheric dynamics and space weather conditions.
A Southwest Research Institute-led study found that protons and heavy ions react differently to solar magnetic reconnection events, revealing a more complex magnetic engine powering the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection converts ...
Astronomy
Mar 31, 2026
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Researchers at Northumbria University have used the most powerful space telescope ever built to answer one of the longest-standing puzzles in planetary science—why does Saturn appear to spin at a different speed depending ...
Astronomy
Mar 27, 2026
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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space ...
Astronomy
Mar 25, 2026
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The Smile mission is set to launch on a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on Thursday, April 9, at 08:29 CEST/07:29 BST/03:29 local time.
Space Exploration
Mar 20, 2026
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What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency's Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.
Astronomy
Mar 5, 2026
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An international team of scientists, led by a Ph.D. researcher from Northumbria University, has made further discoveries about a spectacular feature of Jupiter's northern lights, revealing a never-before-seen temperature ...
Astronomy
Mar 4, 2026
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Every winter, thousands of tourists travel to high-latitude regions like Scandinavia, Canada, and Alaska hoping to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Vincent Ledvina, an aurora guide and Ph.D. student in space physics ...
Astronomy
Feb 24, 2026
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New observations of Ganymede reveal a striking similarity between the auroras on the largest moon in the solar system and those on Earth. The international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the University of ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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A stream of charged particles known as the solar wind flows from the sun toward Earth. Here, it meets Earth's magnetic fields, which shield our planet like a giant umbrella. The Space Umbrella project needs your help investigating ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 20, 2026
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For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus's upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet. Using Webb's NIRSpec ...
Astronomy
Feb 19, 2026
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