Aurora photographers are once again responsible for finding and defining a new feature in our Earth’s aurora. Also called the northern lights, these generally green and red collared features in the sky are created when the Earth’s atmosphere interacts with particles from the Sun that are racing along that atmosphere. Observed patterns often include curtains and pillars, and now, we know they can also include dunes. 

This pattern was noted in 2015 by the Ursa Astronomical Association in Finland but documented again for three years. By looking at photos taken from multiple locations, this band of amateur astronomers was able to determine the dunes were located about 100 kilometers up in the atmosphere, where other aurora features also occur. Working with local atmospheric scientists, the team was able to figure out these features are associated with variations in the density of oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere. Under just the right, and pretty rare, conditions, temperature inversions and wind shear in the atmosphere can cause waves on higher and lower air densities that crop up over great distances. 

This work is published in AGU Advances and highlights that anyone can make a discovery, and the true definition of a scientist isn’t how many degrees you have, but rather how often you say “What is this?” and work to share what you find with others.

More Information

Eos article

“Citizen Scientists Discover a New Auroral Form: Dunes Provide Insight Into the Upper Atmosphere,” M. Palmroth et al., 2020 January 27, AGU Advances