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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Scientists are hoping to learn more about the solar wind and the resulting aurora borealis by taking pictures of the Northern lights from the International Space Station and comparing them with images taken by the Yellowknife-based AuroraMAX Online Observatory.

Astronomy North's AuroraMAX, which shares images of the Northern lights online, is going to be synchronized with the International Space Station when conditions are right to show images of the lights from earth and space at the same time. - photo courtesy of NASA

When an active aurora is expected, AuroraMAX alerts will be issued inviting people to view the lights online live, or outside of course, while astronauts on the space station take pictures of the lights over Canada. The goal is to capture images of the aurora from Earth and space at the same time.

"If we're really fortunate and the aurora is active at the time the space station is passing, we are going to get some unprecedented, unbelievable footage of Canada's Northern lights," said James Pugsley, president of Astronomy North.

"It's an exciting opportunity for Northerners to get a new perspective of the auroras we see over our city and above the southern half of the NWT," said Pugsley. "Having the International Space Station involved in imaging of aurora represents another new way to learn about the lights and the cause-and-effect relationship between the sun and the Earth, and the science and the splendor of the aurora borealis."

Images from the space station will be sent back to Earth within 48 hours so sky-gazers can compare the pictures – which will be compiled into a photo collage – with those taken by AuroraMAX.

While he's excited about the project, Pugsley made a point to remind people that viewing of the Northern lights from Earth and from space relies on a number of factors.

"There are variety of variables that will influence both the view from above and below," said Pugsley. These include the amount of solar activity, the position of the space station over Earth, and weather conditions over AuroraMAX viewing areas.

"The challenges are significant, so we want to work with each window of opportunity to make sure that we on the ground have our cameras dedicated to the sky," Pugsley said.

International Space Station astronauts Don Pettit and Dan Burbank are on standby to photograph the Northern lights, which they will continue to do for another five weeks, according to a Canadian Space Agency press release.

"If the simultaneous Earth and space imagery is successful, the project might also shed light on some of the mysteries of this natural phenomenon, like why auroras form particular shapes," states the agency's release.

AuroraMAX is a collaboration between the University of Calgary, the City of Yellowknife, Astronomy North and the Canadian Space Agency.

"This kind of co-ordination between the Earth and the space station has never been done before," said Ruth Ann Chicoine, a national project manager with the CSA.

"We're hoping that the beauty of the imagery will help entice people, especially young people, to learn a little bit about the science behind the lights," said Chicoine.

The space station orbits the Earth at an average altitude of about 370 km above the Earth while the auroras can range from 60 km to more than 500 km above the Earth.

"So we're actually getting a side-on view of the Aurora, and those images are going to hopefully help scientists understand why the auroras take on particular shapes. That's still one of the great mysteries in aurora science," said Chicoine.

People may get their first glimpse of the views from Earth and space over the next couple of days, on the agency's website , as the space station expected to have its first opportunity to photograph the aurora after the full moon Thursday night and this morning. It takes approximately 48 hours to broadcast the images to earth.

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