Pulsating Aurora over Iceland
Why do some auroras pulsate?
No one is sure.
Although this unusual behavior has been known for a long time,
the cause remains an active topic of research.
Featured here is a dramatic video that captured some impressive pulsating auroras in mid-March over
Svínafellsjökull Glacier in
Iceland.
The 48-second video shown is not time-lapse.
The real-time pulsations are
exemplified by sequences where the astrophotographer is visible moving about in the foreground.
A close inspection of the enigmatic flickering
sky colors
reveals that some structures appear to repeat, while others do not.
The quick rapidity of the pulsations seen here is somewhat unusual -- more common are
aurora with pulsations that last several seconds.
Recent research shows that pulsations are more common in electron-generated aurora,
rather than proton aurora, and that the
Earth's local magnetic field may
fluctuate in unison