New insights on Northern Lights, fog on Titan

From UCLA & Caltech

In a season in which many have looked skyward for divine, celestial inspirations, good to know that there's lots of informing science, too, about matters above. Specifically, in Westwood, researchers say they've got new insights into what causes some of the most spectacular of the displays of aurora borealis, also known as  the Northern Lights. There's more physics to the phenomenon but simply put, some dazzling light explosions result when auroras collide. Meantime, for those of us who may plod in the next bit -- safely, we hope -- through the Tule fog for holiday travels, take heart: Titan, Saturn's largest moon, also shows evidence of fog on its surface, researchers say. That's key because it demonstrates evidence on the methane and liquid methane-laden Titan of a hydrological cycle that only had been known on Earth.

Photo: colliding Northern Lights / UCLA from NASA, Canadian Sapce Agency THEMIS

What causes some especially spectacular displays of Northern Lights?

Stuck in the fog on Saturn's largest moon?

Comments

[Fog Light]

Very excellent.I read & enjoyed.