Now showing: The Northern Lights live online

(NC) – The World Wide Web now has a new window on the universe with AuroraMAX, an online observatory that features Canada’s northern lights live on the Internet.

AuroraMAX, a new web portal dedicated to the science and the splendour of the aurora borealis, is a collaborative public engagement project between the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the University of Calgary, the City of Yellowknife and Astronomy North. In addition to nightly broadcasts of the aurora, the AuroraMAX site explains the science behind the phenomenon, offers tips for seeing and photographing auroras, and highlights Canadian research on the sun-earth relationship. The website will also include an image gallery with still photos and movies from previous nights.

“Armchair sky watchers everywhere can now discover the wonder of the northern lights live on their home computer screen,” says CSA president Steve MacLean. “We hope that watching the dance of the northern lights will make you curious about the science of the sky and the relationship we have with our own star, the Sun.”

Auroras occur as charged particles from the Sun collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The launch of AuroraMAX coincides with the beginning of aurora season in northern Canada, which generally begins in late August or early September and ends in May. Aurora enthusiasts will be able to follow AuroraMAX through solar maximum, the most active period of the Sun’s 11-year cycle, which should produce more frequent and intense auroras on Earth. Solar maximum is currently expected in 2013.

Enjoy tonight’s performance at www.asc-csa.gc.ca/auroramax.

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