Fascinating Aurora Borealis: All about the solar winds and Earth

It was in 1619 when Galileo named these lights the Aurora Borealis after the Roman goddess of the dawn and the Greek name for the north wind   (NASA)

What causes this spectacular light shows in the sky? Look at Earth's magnetosphere. We all know that Earth has a North and a South Pole. That's how compasses work.  (NASA)

Because of its molten iron core, Earth is actually a giant magnet with poles at both ends. The volume of space within this magnetic field is called the Magnetosphere, NASA says.  (NASA)

Solar winds produced by the sun blast into earth's magnetosphere. And it actually changes its shape. It's a good thing though. Solar winds can be dangerous as they are filled with deadly radiation. And it's actually our malleable magnetosphere that absorbs the brunt of solar winds force, says NASA.  (NASA)

If it weren't for our magnetosphere, shielding us from that radiation, life on Earth may very well not exist.  

The side of the magnetosphere that gets smacked by the solar winds is known as the dayside magnetosphere. Make sense because that' 's the side facing the sun. The opposite side is the magnetotail, NASA avers.  (NASA)

This energy from the solar wind causes a change in the shape of the magnetic tail. Particles trapped in the tail interact with earth's atmosphere creating the magnificent Auroras. So, now you know. (NASA)

Every once in a while geomagnetically disturbed period known as a substorm occurs and the auroras brighten and extend to a wider area.  (NASA)

The study of auroras has been helped by Themis spacecraft. Launched in February of 2007, the Rocket carrying Themis released five identical probes. It was the job of the Themis probes to align themselves with the North American Continent and help scientists to understand what triggers the onset of substorms. (NASA)

What does Themis mean? The Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms —THEMIS — mission studies how mass and energy move through the near-Earth environment in order to determine the physical processes initiating auroras. (NASA)