The aurora borealis and aurora australisthe northern and
southern lightsare visible manifestations of a connection
between the Sun and Earth. Blasts of energy and magnetically
charged particles from the Sun are constantly flowing out into
space and crashing into the magnetic fields of Earth and other
planets. At Earth, that energy stirs up the particles and energy
trapped in Earths space, or magnetosphere, creating the auroras
and disturbing the upper reaches of our atmosphere.
Photographers captured these digital photos of a four-stage
Black Brant XII sounding rocket and the aurora borealis on
December 12, 2010, during the NASA-funded Rocket Experiment for
Neutral Upwelling (RENU). The rocket was launched from Andoya
Rocket Range near Andenes, Norway, and carried instruments about
200 miles (320 kilometers) into the atmosphere to observe the
aurora and the associated flow of heat, particles, and
electromagnetic energy. The photograph of the aurora was taken
from the Kjell Henrickson Observatory in Svalbard,