It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's time to watch for the Northern Lights.

The sun is sending this stream of plasma called the solar wind that flows past the earth and some of those

particles get funneled down towards the polar regions and cause auroras.

It's Wednesday, December 13th and it's the birthday of famed Norwegian scientist

Christian Berkland.

So we'll just call it Science Friday.

I'm John Dankowski.

Way back in 1867 when Berkland was born.

There were some theories, but nobody really knew what caused the

vibrant pinks and greens of the Aurora Borealis. By the start of the 20th century, though,

he became the first to chronicle that explanation we just heard.

But what makes them appear so different each time?

Here's Ira Flato, from a show back in 2021,

talking to a modern Aurora researcher

about this wild winter light show.

Believe it or not, with all that we know about Earth science,

the reason for this variable display

has been a longstanding mystery in the astronomical community.

And joining me now is someone whose research may have finally helped us know why the

Aurora comes in such different flavors.

Here with me is Dr. Jim Schrader, assistant professor of physics at Wheaton

College in Wheaton, Illinois. Welcome to Science Friday. Thank you, Ira. A pleasure to be with you.

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