Holed up in a cabin in the small northern Alaskan village of Venetie — which, according to the 2020 census, had a population of just 125 — University of Iowa doctoral candidate Riley Troyer is on a NASA-funded mission to sky gaze.
His duties, actually, are much more specific and scientific, as he’s among a trio of University of Iowa investigators who over the weekend flew to Alaska on a three-week mission to better understand a rarely viewed type of aurora — also known as Northern Lights — that flashes or “pulsates.”
“Pulsating aurora” is reminiscent of rhythmic lightning from a distant thunderstorm — except in brilliant purples and greens — and has been likened to a celestial heart beat or, less romantically, a malfunctioning neon sign.
Via the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-funded mission named “Loss through auroral microburst pulsations,” or LAMP, Troyer — along with co-investigator and UI assistant physics and astronomy professor Allison Jaynes — nightly until March 10 will scan the Arctic skies for pulsating aurora.
The goal of the mission is to better understand how pulsating aurora work, what causes the phenomenon, and what it could mean for Earth.
“We’re trying to figure out if the electrons that create this type of aurora are very high in energy,” Jaynes told The Gazette on Monday from her hotel room in Fairbanks, where she’s stationed 155 miles south of Troyer.
Scientists theorize that pulsating auroras have a high-energy component, according to Jaynes, who said confirmation could be “really significant because that is energy that's coming from space and deposited into Earth's atmosphere.”
“So we want to know how much energy is coming in from outside Earth and affecting Earth,” she said. “We want to try and measure that total energy.”
The researchers aim to do that by — as soon as they spy the pulsating aurora — launching a 40-foot suborbital sounding rocket from a range just north of Fairbanks. The rocket won’t have the velocity to reach orbit and will follow an arced return to Earth — a trip lasting only 10 to 15 minutes.
But the voyage is expected to be a fruitful one. The rocket will be loaded with instruments from collaborators around the globe, including NASA, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire, University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, and the Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy, among others.
“There are a lot of different implications,” Jaynes said about a discovery that pulsating aurora do, in fact, have a high-energy component.
“One of the most relatable ones is that if you have higher energy, you can create chemicals in the atmosphere that deplete ozone,” she said. “You can actually create local ozone losses right where these auroras are taking place.”
The research also could shed light on why those aurora occur, according to Jaynes, who said theories involve weather both in space and on Earth.
“Right now the sun is more active than it has been for a long time,” she said. “And we're really hoping that's going to give us the perfect event because it is tied to space weather.”
In addition to Jaynes and Troyer, the project has about a dozen people working on it total.
As for what Troyer will be doing so far north of the launch site, Jaynes said he’ll be collecting extra data from the ground as the rocket passes.
“He is going to be right underneath the path of the rocket as it flies overhead,” she said.
Once the pulsating aurora begins, it can last an hour — giving researchers some time to make sure all the pieces are in place to capture what they need. Jaynes admitted, however, the work can be “very anxiety producing.”
While in Alaska, she and her peers have swapped their workdays for worknights in hopes of catching the aim of their study in the Alaskan skies. But they also have issued a call for help from “citizen scientists in Alaska and beyond.”
For those in Alaska, the ask involves photography submissions.
“Pulsating auroras can cover enormous areas, so scientists can use multiple observations to triangulate measurements and look at a structure from different angles,” according to a blog post on the mission.
“Photographic observations with your location, when you see it, and how broad an area it covers, are important, even if the rocket isn’t launching that night.”
“Citizen scientists” outside Alaska are asked to submit questions about pulsating aurora — as “questions are the foundation of research, and the team wants to hear what piques your curiosity.”
“We will do our best to answer the question, explain why it is a mystery and/or see if LAMP might be able to help solve the puzzle.”
www.thegazette.com
His duties, actually, are much more specific and scientific, as he’s among a trio of University of Iowa investigators who over the weekend flew to Alaska on a three-week mission to better understand a rarely viewed type of aurora — also known as Northern Lights — that flashes or “pulsates.”
“Pulsating aurora” is reminiscent of rhythmic lightning from a distant thunderstorm — except in brilliant purples and greens — and has been likened to a celestial heart beat or, less romantically, a malfunctioning neon sign.
Via the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-funded mission named “Loss through auroral microburst pulsations,” or LAMP, Troyer — along with co-investigator and UI assistant physics and astronomy professor Allison Jaynes — nightly until March 10 will scan the Arctic skies for pulsating aurora.
The goal of the mission is to better understand how pulsating aurora work, what causes the phenomenon, and what it could mean for Earth.
“We’re trying to figure out if the electrons that create this type of aurora are very high in energy,” Jaynes told The Gazette on Monday from her hotel room in Fairbanks, where she’s stationed 155 miles south of Troyer.
Scientists theorize that pulsating auroras have a high-energy component, according to Jaynes, who said confirmation could be “really significant because that is energy that's coming from space and deposited into Earth's atmosphere.”
“So we want to know how much energy is coming in from outside Earth and affecting Earth,” she said. “We want to try and measure that total energy.”
The researchers aim to do that by — as soon as they spy the pulsating aurora — launching a 40-foot suborbital sounding rocket from a range just north of Fairbanks. The rocket won’t have the velocity to reach orbit and will follow an arced return to Earth — a trip lasting only 10 to 15 minutes.
But the voyage is expected to be a fruitful one. The rocket will be loaded with instruments from collaborators around the globe, including NASA, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire, University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, and the Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy, among others.
“There are a lot of different implications,” Jaynes said about a discovery that pulsating aurora do, in fact, have a high-energy component.
“One of the most relatable ones is that if you have higher energy, you can create chemicals in the atmosphere that deplete ozone,” she said. “You can actually create local ozone losses right where these auroras are taking place.”
The research also could shed light on why those aurora occur, according to Jaynes, who said theories involve weather both in space and on Earth.
“Right now the sun is more active than it has been for a long time,” she said. “And we're really hoping that's going to give us the perfect event because it is tied to space weather.”
In addition to Jaynes and Troyer, the project has about a dozen people working on it total.
As for what Troyer will be doing so far north of the launch site, Jaynes said he’ll be collecting extra data from the ground as the rocket passes.
“He is going to be right underneath the path of the rocket as it flies overhead,” she said.
Once the pulsating aurora begins, it can last an hour — giving researchers some time to make sure all the pieces are in place to capture what they need. Jaynes admitted, however, the work can be “very anxiety producing.”
While in Alaska, she and her peers have swapped their workdays for worknights in hopes of catching the aim of their study in the Alaskan skies. But they also have issued a call for help from “citizen scientists in Alaska and beyond.”
For those in Alaska, the ask involves photography submissions.
“Pulsating auroras can cover enormous areas, so scientists can use multiple observations to triangulate measurements and look at a structure from different angles,” according to a blog post on the mission.
“Photographic observations with your location, when you see it, and how broad an area it covers, are important, even if the rocket isn’t launching that night.”
“Citizen scientists” outside Alaska are asked to submit questions about pulsating aurora — as “questions are the foundation of research, and the team wants to hear what piques your curiosity.”
“We will do our best to answer the question, explain why it is a mystery and/or see if LAMP might be able to help solve the puzzle.”
UI scientists hope rocket will answer aurora questions in Alaska
University of Iowa investigators over the weekend flew to Alaska for a three-week mission to better understand a rarely viewed type of aurora — also known as Northern Lights — that flashes or “pulsates.”
www.thegazette.com
