The Aurora

This illustrated volume reviews the wealth of information that has been generated by satellite and ground-based observations of the aurora. Opening with a broad overview of why we should continue to be interested by a phenomenon which occurs in the relatively near neighbourhood of the atmosphere, the author points out that several areas of human endeavour are influenced by auroral phenomena - such as ground currents induced during intense auroral storms, which have been a source of failure in electricity grid systems in Canada and Scandinavia. An appraisal of the history of aurorae, and the way in which historical examinations can provide an insight into determining past activity of the Sun, provides a background to the author's examination of how the advent of satellite exploration has brought a clearer model for the magnetic environment surrounding the Earth, and provided a clearer picture of the mechanisms behind the aurora. Practical advice on auroral observations is given, including an atlas of auroral types.