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Terrestrial Aurorae and Solar–Terrestrial Relations

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Book cover The Sun Recorded Through History

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 361))

Abstract

Few phenomena have made as much of an impression on human beings as the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. The aurora is one of the most spectacular and earliest-known manifestations of the links between the Sun and the Earth. The northern and southern lights appear in the night sky with a great variety of colours and forms (Figure 6.1). The auroral activity is not rare, although few aurorae can be observed from low-latitude sites. Magnificent aurorae have been observed by humans since the beginnings of civilization. As the sky was the heaven where the gods of many civilizations were seated, the relationship between systems of belief and omen was rapidly established. Only in recent times was the scientific method applied, which soon revealed the cause: the variability of our Sun. The basic concepts of solar–terrestrial relations were laid down in Chapter 1.

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  1. Universidad Extremadura, Departamento de Física Aplicada, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, 10071, Cáceres, Spain

    José M. Vaquero

  2. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, c/ Vía Láctea s/n, 38200, La Laguna, Spain

    M. Vázquez

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Vaquero, J., Vázquez, M. (2009). Terrestrial Aurorae and Solar–Terrestrial Relations. In: The Sun Recorded Through History. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 361. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92790-9_6

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