Have you seen pulsating aurora? You can contribute to auroral science by sharing your photos. Learn more about how to get involved with Aurorasaurus .

Nasa Lava Lamp - Etsy Nasa Lava Lamp - Etsy

The only thing they won’t measure is the chorus wave itself, though the team is hoping for a chance flyby of a satellite that could potentially provide those observations. But chorus waves are not sound waves – instead, they move through plasma, the electrified gas that makes up over 99% of the observable matter in space. They ripple through the particles trapped within Earth’s magnetic environment, shaking some loose to fall into our atmosphere. The LAMP mission is an international collaboration with contributions from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire, and University of Iowa, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tohoku University, Nagoya University, and Kyutech in Japan. The aurora borealis, or northern lights, is a familiar treat to those who call northern latitudes home. Auroras come in different shapes and colors, waving their ribbons of vibrant green, red and purple across the sky. But one variety of aurora displays a peculiar behavior: it pulsates.

With what you might call the retro revival, lava lamps are now being made by a number of companies around the world. Thumbs Up’s version is distinguished by its elegant profile and attractive colour scheme. Made almost entirely from painted metal and glass, it is a high-quality product. A few minutes of self-assembly are required, fitting the base fins requiring a certain amount of dexterity, and the gratification is not instant – the wax does take a time to warm up to operating temperature – but the result is very pleasing. Image(s) provided by:

NASA lava lamp: get with the retro revival! - Pilot

It doesn't take long to heat up. It's smaller than my regular lava lamp, but I am actually glad because I have it between 2 of my monitors so it can catch my eye, and still not be too much in the way. Chorus waves occur at exactly the right frequency to ‘resonate’ with the electrons that create pulsating aurora, similar to how you pump your feet at justthe right time to get a swing to go higher and higher,” said Dr. Allison Jaynes, space physicist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and co-investigator for the mission. Eventually, some of these electrons “jump off” the swing – and shoot into our atmosphere.Chorus waves can launch both low and high-energy electrons, which may explain some puzzling coincidences. Pulsating aurora are caused by fairly low-energy electrons, but they’re often observed alongside flashes of X-ray light known as microbursts, which come from higher-energy electrons.