Novel Look at Earth's Auroras Made Possible by Norwegian Advanced Camera

Norwegian scientists conceived a new, sophisticated camera that allows the Earth's Auroras to be seen in a light they have never been seen before.

The NORUSCA II hyperspectral camera has the capacity of capturing a large range of shapes and colors in a very quick rhythm. It comprises 41 distinct optical tapes which can shift more rapidly that any camera ever built before.

The new device was first tested on January 24, 2012 and it has already revealed uncommon facts about one of the Earth's most spectacular phenomena, Space reports.

NORUSCA II spotted an Aurora action, known as a coronal mass ejection, in a previously unsuspected manner: waves comparable to the “airglow” – the Earth's atmospheric light emission – were generated in the lower atmosphere.

“This would be an entirely new phenomenon and if confirmed, would be the first time airglow has been associated with auroras,” declared Fred Sigernes, of the University Centre in Svalbard, Norway.