This volume surveys our current scientific understanding of the
terrestrial aurora. It is organized into eleven reviews detailing
theoretical and observational aspects of characteristic auroral
morphologies, and how these in turn are organized according to local
time, latitude, and activity level.
Popular descriptions often attribute the aurora to the interaction of
charged particles from the solar wind with atoms in the upper
atmosphere. In fact, most auroras are not the result of direct entry of
solar wind particles. Rather, as detailed in this volume, auroral
particle acceleration and generation of auroral forms occur primarily
within the magnetosphere. Importantly, many key aspects of the aurora -
most notably, the physical mechanisms responsible for the generation of
discrete arcs - are still unexplained, and auroral physics continues to
be an active area of scientific research. Each review chapter therefore
includes a summary of open questions for further investigation.
Providing the first comprehensive review of the terrestrial aurora in
two decades, this book will aid both active researchers and newcomers
interested in understanding the current state of the field.
Previously published Space Science Reviews in the Topical Collection
"Auroral Physics"
