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2010-09-22 06:59:46
Tariq Malik
space.com Mon Sep 20, 1:00 pm ET
This story was updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Aching to see the dazzling aurora displays that make up the northern lights,
but can't get to the Arctic Circle to see them? Don't worry, a new Internet
show has you covered.
The new web-based observatory AuroraMAX will go live tonight (Sept. 20) to
broadcast real-time views of eye-catching northern lights, called the aurora
borealis, as part of an outreach project by the Canadian Space Agency. [Amazing
Aurora Photos]
"Armchair skywatchers everywhere can now discover the wonder of the northern
lights live on their home computer screen," space agency chief Steve MacLean
said in an announcement. "We hope that watching the dance of the northern
lights will make you curious about the science of the sky and the relationship
we have with our own star, the sun."
The Canadian Space Agency teamed up with the University of Calgary, the
skywatching publication Astronomy North and the city of Yellowknife, which is
about 318 miles (512 km) south of the Arctic Circle. According to the city's
website, Yellowknife is "known for our outdoor recreation, midnight sun, aurora
borealis and an unusual blend of northern culture."
The AuroraMAX website will include tips on how to observe auroras, explanations
on why they occur, and highlight Canadian research into the relationship
between the sun and Earth that leads to the dazzling sky shows. Photo galleries
and videos of the phenomenon will also be included. A recap of each night will
be broadcast on the following day.
Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun are funneled toward Earth by
the planet's magnetic field and collide with the upper atmosphere near the
poles. They are more active when the sun's activity peaks during its 11-year
solar weather cycle. The sun is currently entering an active phase of its
present cycle, so astronomers expect the northern lights to be more common and
more dazzling over the next couple of years.
In addition to the aurora borealis in the north, the South Pole region also
sees its own aurora displays, called the aurora australis.
In Canada, the peak of the aurora season typically runs from late August to
May, because the nights are longer. The auroras themselves occur all year.
"The reason we classify August through May as the 'aurora watch' season is
because of the extended number of 'dark' hours in Canada," aurora researcher
Emma Spanswick of the University of Calgary told SPACE.com in an e-mail. "From
an instrumentation perspective, the cameras we use to observe the aurora (like
the AuroraMAX camera) are very sensitive. They are only able to operate when
the sun is at least 12 degrees below the horizon and in Northern Canada, that
only happens between the months of August and May."
The AuroraMAX observatory will broadcast views of the northern lights through
the sun's peak activity period, called solar maximum, which is expected in
2013, researchers said.