Even though the Arctic and Antarctic experience extreme temperatures all year round, they have a very special gift that nature has to offer. This is in the form of the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights. But to date, the scientific reason behind the occurrence of the above event has remained a mystery.
So is NASA, but as we all know, the space agency is determined not to leave space-related mysteries unanswered. That’s why they came up with a mission to answer questions behind the performance of the lights and this article is all about it. Read to know more.
“It’s a bit hypnotic – a kind of lava lamp”
Pulsating aurora is a special kind of northern and southern lights that glow every few seconds and then dim. NASA launches a rocket from Alaska in hopes of finding out what caused it.
More: pic.twitter.com/HO9GkgNFbb— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) February 23, 2022
NASA’s ‘LAMP’ to shed light on the occurrence of northern and southern lights
NASA’s LAMP mission, which stands for Loss through Auroral Microburst Pulsations, will fly above an often-overlooked type of northern lights to understand and apply a theory about their occurrence. The LAMP flies aboard a small rocket that is launched into space for a targeted few minutes of measurements before returning to Earth. Scientists at NASA will closely monitor the Poker Flat Research Range and also at a downrange site called Venice until they begin to pulse auroras.
The LAMP mission was to be launched from the Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska. NASA has scheduled the same on February 24, 2022.
What exactly is NASA studying?
Polar Lights, also known as Aurora Polaris, is a representation of natural light in Earth’s sky, seen primarily in high latitude areas around the Arctic and Antarctica. The lights are also known as an aurora which happens to be the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate in the upper atmosphere.
The LAMP will fly above the pulsing aurora as it measures the low-energy particles causing their occurrence, as well as the medium and high-energy electrons that should also be coming from a chorus wave. On the ground, a riometer will provide an independent measurement of high-energy electrons so the rocket team can confirm their measurements. NASA also has a release indicate the same.