Of his observations, Dr Griffin said: “There was something strange going on overhead – which is unusual for New Zealand as auroras are usually low in the sky. “I got curious and took out a really wide fisheye lens to start a timelapse.” “Because this kind of transformation has never been recorded before, we came up with some interesting measurements that cannot be explained by current scientific theories and models.” The findings, the researchers said, may shed new light on the complex magnetic interactions that occur in the near-Earth space environment. After the light show, Dr Griffin posted his observations on YouTube where, in 2018, they caught the attention of aurora scientist Dr Bea Gallardo-Lacourt of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The recordings were then shared with Boston University space physicist Professor Carlos Martinis and his colleagues. They analyzed the material along with data collected by satellites and an all-sky imager located at the Mount John Observatory — about 124 miles north of Dunedin Dr Griffin said: “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside a team of researchers to unlock the secrets of these aurora displays.” READ MORE: SpaceX sparks ‘rocket-powered’ aurora that turns sky RED Dr Gallardo-Lacourt said: “Since the discovery of STEVE, the assistance and collaboration provided by citizen scientists has been critical to our research. “Their dedication and passion for chasing the aurora and related phenomena provided us with an incredible data set. “I never thought my work would involve such a rich connection to this community and the beauty their photographs provide.” Professor Martinis added: “These observations highlight the benefits of bringing together two communities, citizen scientists and researchers, to help discover new connections in geospace. “Without Ian’s photographs, this study would not have been possible. “The results reveal the rapid evolution of some of the strongest plasma properties ever measured in Earth’s upper atmosphere.” DON’T MISS: Electric vehicle: UK’s ‘amazing’ progress will save Brits £12bn [ANALYSIS]Octopus Energy launches scheme for millions to save £3,775 [REPORT]Ukrainian hero drone pilot reveals all [INSIGHT] Quantum physicist David Hutchinson from the University of Otago in Dunedin said: “Physicists love to smash atoms together and see what happens, but usually we have to build things like the Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. “In this case, nature did all the hard work for us by creating the auroras in the atmosphere. “Understanding the processes responsible for these optical phenomena is key to unraveling the fundamental science and how the interaction between gases and plasma at different altitudes dominates atmospheric chemistry.” The full findings of the study were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
title: “Aurora Discovery Never Recorded Red Arc Activity Over New Zealand Science News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Duane Scholl”
Of his observations, Dr Griffin said: “There was something strange going on overhead – which is unusual for New Zealand as auroras are usually low in the sky. “I got curious and took out a really wide fisheye lens to start a timelapse.” “Because this kind of transformation has never been recorded before, we came up with some interesting measurements that cannot be explained by current scientific theories and models.” The findings, the researchers said, may shed new light on the complex magnetic interactions that occur in the near-Earth space environment. After the light show, Dr Griffin posted his observations on YouTube where, in 2018, they caught the attention of aurora scientist Dr Bea Gallardo-Lacourt of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The recordings were then shared with Boston University space physicist Professor Carlos Martinis and his colleagues. They analyzed the material along with data collected by satellites and an all-sky imager located at the Mount John Observatory — about 124 miles north of Dunedin Dr Griffin said: “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside a team of researchers to unlock the secrets of these aurora displays.” READ MORE: SpaceX sparks ‘rocket-powered’ aurora that turns sky RED Dr Gallardo-Lacourt said: “Since the discovery of STEVE, the assistance and collaboration provided by citizen scientists has been critical to our research. “Their dedication and passion for chasing the aurora and related phenomena provided us with an incredible data set. “I never thought my work would involve such a rich connection to this community and the beauty their photographs provide.” Professor Martinis added: “These observations highlight the benefits of bringing together two communities, citizen scientists and researchers, to help discover new connections in geospace. “Without Ian’s photographs, this study would not have been possible. “The results reveal the rapid evolution of some of the strongest plasma properties ever measured in Earth’s upper atmosphere.” DON’T MISS: Electric vehicle: UK’s ‘amazing’ progress will save Brits £12bn [ANALYSIS]Octopus Energy launches scheme for millions to save £3,775 [REPORT]Ukrainian hero drone pilot reveals all [INSIGHT] Quantum physicist David Hutchinson from the University of Otago in Dunedin said: “Physicists love to smash atoms together and see what happens, but usually we have to build things like the Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. “In this case, nature did all the hard work for us by creating the auroras in the atmosphere. “Understanding the processes responsible for these optical phenomena is key to unraveling the fundamental science and how the interaction between gases and plasma at different altitudes dominates atmospheric chemistry.” The full findings of the study were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.