From the reviews:
“It’s a common misconception that the aurora can only be seen from very high latitudes. … In all, this is a highly readable account that’s profusely illustrated throughout and boasts a selective bibliography, a list of web sources and a glossary of technical terms. It’s a must for everyone eager to watch for aurora when the next solar peak comes around.” (David Gavine, BBC Sky at Night, November, 2007)
“The solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field is a key to understanding how auroral activity arises. This is well illustrated by clear diagrams, tables and excellent photographs of the auroral oval. … This book can be thoroughly recommended to anyone who observes the aurora or has ever been intrigued and curious about the northern lights.” (Ken Kennedy, Astronomy Now, December, 2007)
“While it might seem odd to us who live in northern climes and often experience the aurora borealis on a nighty basis, some people travel thousand of miles with the hope of seeing these beautiful and colorful celestial lights. … for those keen to discover the science behind the aurora, Bone’s book is a must.” (Paul Deans, Sky & Telescope, February, 2008)
“The aurora borealis and the aurora australis are striking if mystifying spectacles in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. … They are complex phenomena but their intricacies and causes are well described in this new book. Author Bone avoids mathematics but has filled his book with lovely color photographs of aurorae, north and south. … Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students and an occasional high school student as well. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.” (A. R. Upgren, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (5), January, 2008)
“This small book presents in greater depth a very readable account of the origins of the aurora with a concise explanation of the solar physics thatdrives sunspot activity and the related geomagnetic activity at the Earth. … I recommend anyone who is curious about the origins of the aurora to dip into this monograph … . In addition, amateur astronomers should enjoy the chapter about aurora on other planets … .” (John I. B. Wilson, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 50 (4), July-August, 2009)
The uniquely beautiful light display of an aurora is the result of charged particles colliding with tenuous atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen, more than 60 miles above the Earth, when the magnetosphere is disturbed by changes in the solar wind.
Often – and incorrectly – regarded as being confined to high northern and southern latitudes, major auroral displays are visible from even the southern USA and the south of England, and occur perhaps twenty times in each eleven-year sunspot cycle.
Major auroral storms always cause great interest and excitement in the media, and of course provide practical astronomers with the opportunity to study and image them.
This book describes the aurora from the amateur observational viewpoint, discusses professional studies of auroral and geomagnetic phenomena to put amateur work in context, and explains how practical observers can go about observing and recording auroral displays.
About the Author
Neil Bone is the author of Deep Sky Observer’s Guide, Philip’s/Firefly (2004); Mars Observer’s Guide, Philip’s/Firefly (2003); Guide to the Constellations, Astronomy Now/Polestar (2002); Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and other Transient Phenomena, Springer (1998); Observer’s Handbook: Meteors Philip’s/Sky (1993); The Aurora: Sun-Earth Interactions, Ellis Horwood (1991), Second Edition Wiley/Praxis (1996), as well as numerous articles and papers.
