Scientists Explain Northern Lights

(Newser) – Scientists say they have solved the mystery of what causes the dazzling northern lights to seemingly dance across the sky, Wired reports. The light show, also known as aurora borealis, is triggered by explosions of magnetic energy about 80,000 miles away. The findings—drawn from five NASA satellites working in tandem with ground observers—might help scientists better predict geomagnetic storms that take out satellites.

“We discovered what sparks the magnificent light show of the aurora,” said one of the scientists. The breakthrough came when satellites detected the start of a magnetic storm earlier this year. Within minutes, observers on earth noted that the northern lights began to brighten and fluctuate.