Aurorae

People have been inspired by the colourful shifting lights of the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis for thousands of years. Bryony Lanigan, Astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, brings together astronomy, solar physics, geology and atomic physics as she explores the science behind these magical displays. Tour the electromagnetic spectrum, learn some elementary atomic physics, meet a mysterious phenomenon with a decidedly un-mysterious name and get to grips with the fundamental role of magnets (very, very large ones) in auroral activity. Lanigan doesn’t just stay on Earth, though – she reveals that the spectacle has been observed elsewhere in our Solar System, too!