Google and NASA are studying the aurora borealis

Google will help NASA conduct a scientific experiment to study the aurora borealis and its impact on satellite communications. Google’s task is to capture the night sky around Lake Pitkäjärvi (Finland), while NASA probes will collect data in orbit.

Google cameras are already installed on the lake, and panoramic views can be viewed online . Judging by the tracks in the snow, ordinary Street View cars are not used there. Instead, the camera on a tripod is worn by one person.


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Aurora - the glow of the upper atmosphere due to interaction with charged particles of the solar wind. This is a rather rare phenomenon, which is visible only at certain latitudes at a particular time of the year.

Lake Pitkäjärvi is located at a latitude of 63 ° 9'0.01 ”and a longitude of 25 ° 19'0.01 ″.

To study the atmospheric phenomenon developed special probes Auroral Spatial Structures Probe (ASSP). Their mission is to study the characteristics of the aurora, as well as the heating of the atmosphere around the auroral zone, arising in connection with this gas flows. This will help to verify the theory that gas flows significantly affect the orbits of satellites (experiment Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Turbulence ).


Auroral Spatial Structures Probe sounding rocket (top)

Overcoming the auroral zone, the probing rocket will emit six small probes into the atmosphere at a speed of 40 meters / s. Each of them will work for 10 minutes, measuring the electromagnetic radiation and the density of ions. After that, it will fall into the Arctic Ocean. Sounding rockets will be launched from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska before January 27, 2015.