"Infrared View: NASA Satellite Captures Stunning Aurora Image"

NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a stunning infrared image of the aurora borealis over western Canada on Nov. 5, 2023, using the VIIRS instrument, which is sensitive to low-light emissions. The image, released in January 2024, shows the aurora's visible light emissions in a grayscale format. Auroras are caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with Earth's magnetosphere and exciting nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the atmosphere. Scientists predict an increase in solar activity in 2024, potentially leading to more frequent aurora displays, and encourage skywatchers to participate in the citizen science project Aurorasaurus to help verify aurora sightings for further study.