NATURAL RADIO- Aurora Borealis

This season, disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field are creating arcs of glowing color called Aurora Borealis, Latin for Northern Dawn. But, Aurora isn’t only something you can see; right now you’re actually listening to it. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

For centuries, humans have puzzled over the bands of colored light which appear in the night skies over high northern and southern latitudes. Some northern indigenous cultures believed that the glow came from the souls of the dead, as they danced across the evening sky.

In 1741, a Swedish astronomer noticed that these bands of light corresponded with the lines of force which make up the Earth’s magnetic field. The lights were most intense in the polar regions, where these lines converge. In recent years, scientists have discovered that Aurora is the result of charged particles from the sun which collide with the Earth’s magnetic field. These particles are guided along the magnetic field lines to the polar regions, where they interact with atmospheric gasses, creating those luminous streams of color.

These days, sound enthusiasts listen to Aurora with radio receivers much like the one that’s bringing you this program. They can do this because the northern lights coincide with bursts of electromagnetic radio waves, which can be translated into sound waves for us to hear.

Our special thanks to Steve McGreevy for his Aurora recordings.

Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Additional funding for this series has been provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.

NATURAL RADIO- Aurora Borealis

The science and folklore of the Aurora.
Air Date:03/29/1999
Scientist:
Transcript:

This season, disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field are creating arcs of glowing color called Aurora Borealis, Latin for Northern Dawn. But, Aurora isn't only something you can see; right now you're actually listening to it. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

For centuries, humans have puzzled over the bands of colored light which appear in the night skies over high northern and southern latitudes. Some northern indigenous cultures believed that the glow came from the souls of the dead, as they danced across the evening sky.

In 1741, a Swedish astronomer noticed that these bands of light corresponded with the lines of force which make up the Earth's magnetic field. The lights were most intense in the polar regions, where these lines converge. In recent years, scientists have discovered that Aurora is the result of charged particles from the sun which collide with the Earth's magnetic field. These particles are guided along the magnetic field lines to the polar regions, where they interact with atmospheric gasses, creating those luminous streams of color.

These days, sound enthusiasts listen to Aurora with radio receivers much like the one that's bringing you this program. They can do this because the northern lights coincide with bursts of electromagnetic radio waves, which can be translated into sound waves for us to hear.

Our special thanks to Steve McGreevy for his Aurora recordings.

Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Additional funding for this series has been provided by the National Science Foundation. I'm Jim Metzner.