​​Physicists Have Finally Observed The Cause of a Special Type of Aurora

This is why they're so stunning.
Researchers have directly observed the scattering electrons behind the shifting patterns of light called pulsating auroras, confirming models of how charged solar winds interact with our planet's magnetic field.
With those same winds posing a threat to technology, it's comforting to know we've got a sound understanding of what's going on up there.

The international team of astronomers used the state-of-the-art Arase Geospace probe as part of the Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) project to observe how high energy electrons behave high above the surface of our planet.

Dazzling curtains of light that shimmer over Earth's poles have captured our imagination since prehistoric times, and the fundamental processes behind the eerie glow of the aurora borealis and aurora australis – the northern and southern lights – are fairly well known. Read the rest here