Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Northern Lights Mystery May Be Solved

Date: 26 February 2012 Time: 01:01 PM ET
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Aurora over Lake Superior with Chair and Beer
Astrophotographer Shawn Malone of Marquette, Mich., took this shot of an aurora on Feb. 18, 2012. Malone appears in the photo seated in the chair.
CREDIT: Shawn Malone
Scientists may have solved a longstanding mystery about the origin of the energetic particles that cause Earth's dramatic aurora displays.
The electrons responsible for the auroras — also known as the northern and southern lights — are likely accelerated to incredible speeds in an active region of Earth's magnetosphere, according to a new study. This region is 1,000 times larger than scientists had thought possible, providing enough volume to generate lots of the fast-moving electrons, the study reports.

MORE: http://www.space.com/14679-northern-lights-mystery-earth-magnetosphere.html


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