Aurora - Fire in the Sky

NARRATOR: A GHOSTLY IRIDESCENCE, A MAGIC LIGHT BREAKING THE BLACKNESS OF THE POLAR NIGHT.

THE AURORA.

IT'S ALWAYS STRUCK PEOPLE IN THE POLAR REGIONS WITH AWE.

THIS IS A VISUAL JOURNEY AROUND THE GLOBE... A JOURNEY DEPARTING FROM ANCIENT MYTHS AND LEGENDS ABOUT THE AURORA... TO SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS OF THIS NATURAL SPECTACLE.

THE SOURCE OF THE AURORA IS OUR SUN, A CELESTIAL POWER THAT KINDLES A FIRE IN THE SKY.

NARRATOR: WHEN ELECTRICALLY CHARGED SOLAR PARTICLES HIT THE ATMOSPHERE, LIGHTS WILL FLARE.

WHEN THE SUN'S ACTIVITY IS INCREASING, THE RESULTS ARE MORE INTENSIVE AND MORE FREQUENT NORTHERN LIGHTS.

EVEN SEASONED RESEARCHERS NEVER FAIL TO BE OVERWHELMED.

MAN: THE AURORA IS SUCH A DRAMATIC NATURAL PHENOMENON THAT, UH, ALWAYS, I THINK, IN ANY HUMAN BEING, UH, IT WILL AWAKE SOME CURIOSITY TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT.

DIFFERENT MAN: I REMEMBER THINKING AT THE TIME, MY ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT WAS, I WONDER IF I'LL EVER SEE IT AGAIN, SO BEAUTIFUL COLORS, BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENT, AND, UH--AND JUST NOT A CAMERA LENS WIDE ENOUGH TO TAKE IT ALL IN, UNFORTUNATELY.

THIRD MAN: WHEN AURORAL ACTIVITY IS MOVING STRAIGHT ABOVE YOU SO THAT YOU KIND OF LOOK UP INTO IT AND YOU CAN HAVE THESE RAYS ALL AROUND YOU AND THEY COVER ALMOST THE WHOLE SKY, THAT'S--THAT'S THE MOST MAGIC MOMENT.

THAT WOULD TAKE THE BREATH OUT OF THE MOST, UM, EXPERIENCED SCIENTIST.

NARRATOR: THIS FASCINATING PHENOMENON HAS INSPIRED BOTH MYSTIC FANTASY AND SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY.

THE FIRST LEG OF OUR JOURNEY FOLLOWING THE AURORA TAKES US TO THE GLOBE'S HIGH LATITUDES.

WHERE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE CROSSES GREENLAND'S EASTERN COAST, THERE LIES THE VILLAGE TINITEQILAAQ.

IT'S SEPTEMBER.

ICEBERGS ARE ADRIFT IN SERMILIK FJORD.

IT'S A HARSH CLIMATE, AND SUMMER HAS BEEN BUT A FLEETING MOMENT.

[SINGING IN INUIT LANGUAGE] ANDA KUITSE IS A FAMOUS DRUM DANCER.

AMONG THE INUIT, THE DRUM DANCE IS AN ANCIENT TRADITION.

ONCE, SPIRITS AND GHOSTS, GODS AND DEMONS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INUIT MYTHOLOGY.

THE INUIT HAVE THEIR OWN INTERPRETATIONS OF THE AURORA.

[DRUMMING] ONE NIGHT, THE SHAMAN BEGAN TO BEAT HIS DRUM.

SOON HE FELL INTO A TRANCE, AND HIS SOUL BEGAN TO WANDER.

HE WENT OUTSIDE AND LOOKED UP INTO THE SKY, WHERE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS PRESENTED A STRANGE SPECTACLE.

FIGURES OF LIGHT WERE TOSSING A BALL.

THE BALL FLEW BACK AND FORTH UNTIL IT DROPPED TO THE GROUND.

THE BALL WAS A WALRUS SKULL.

ONE OF THE BEINGS SHOUTED TO THE SHAMAN, "THROW IT BACK!"

THE SHAMAN DID AND FLEW WITH IT INTO THE SKY.

THERE HE SAW THAT THESE BEINGS WERE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD PASSING THE TIME WITH A BALL GAME.

YOUNG INUIT, TOO, LIKE TO PLAY BALL.

SOCCER IS A POPULAR SPORT IN GREENLAND.

[CHILD GIGGLES] TINITEQILAAQ IS A VILLAGE ON THE SERMILIK FJORD.

THE OFFICIAL POPULATION COUNT IS ABOUT 130, BUT IN RECENT YEARS, MANY HAVE LEFT.

PROSPECTS OF MAKING A LIVING HERE ARE BLEAK.

SCHOOL AND CHURCH SHARE A BUILDING.

[PLAYING HYMN] MANY GREENLANDERS ARE PRACTICING CHRISTIANS, LIKE BOAS JONATHANSEN, THE OLDEST MAN IN THE VILLAGE.

BOAS IS 84.

HE REMEMBERS A JOURNEY ON FOOT, RETURNING HOME ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS FROM THE VILLAGE OF TASIILAQ, SOME 40 KILOMETERS AWAY.

[SPEAKING INUIT LANGUAGE] TRANSLATOR: WE TOOK OUR WAY BACK FROM TASIILAQ.

THE DAYLIGHT WAS SO SHORT AND THE WAY BACK VERY LONG.

IT GOT SO DARK THAT WE COULDN'T SEE OUR WAY.

BUT THEN, AFTER A WHILE, THE NORTHERN LIGHTS CAME UP.

WHEN THEY BEGAN TO SHINE, WE WERE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BECAUSE THEN IT WAS BRIGHTER AND WE COULD SEE WHERE WE WERE.

WE COULD SEE THE MOUNTAINS AND RECOGNIZE THE LANDSCAPE.

WE WERE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE NORTHERN LIGHTS WHEN THEY APPEARED AND GUIDED US HOME.

NARRATOR: IN FACT, THE AURORA IS ALWAYS THERE, BUT ONE CAN ONLY SEE IT IN THE RIGHT WEATHER, SEASON, AND ACTIVITY.

IN DAYLIGHT IT REMAINS INVISIBLE, LIKE THE STARS WHICH ARE ALSO ALWAYS THERE.

UNTIL OCTOBER, THE FJORD IS ICE-FREE, SO THE HUNTERS USE BOATS.

GERT IGNATIUSSEN IS WATCHING FOR SEALS.

[GERT SPEAKING INUIT LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: THEIR PATIENCE IS REWARDED.

[GUNSHOT] [DOG BARKING] NARRATOR: THE INUIT FAMILIES ARE PREPARING FOR THE LONG WINTER.

THEY CURE SEAL MEAT IN THE OPEN AIR.

IT'S A DELICACY AND A GOOD ENERGY-PROVIDER FOR THE COLD SEASON.

HERE IN THE NORTH, THE DAYS ARE NOW GETTING SHORTER QUITE FAST.

SOON THE NIGHTS WILL BE LONG AND DARK ENOUGH AGAIN FOR SPECTACULAR NORTHERN LIGHTS.

ON CLEAR NIGHTS, GERT IGNATIUSSEN GOES OUT TO PURSUE HIS NEW HOBBY.

SINCE HIS CHILDHOOD HALF A CENTURY AGO, HE HAS SEEN COUNTLESS NORTHERN LIGHTS...

SO MANY, IN FACT, THAT AT SOME POINT, HE NO LONGER PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION, LIKE MOST INUIT.

BUT NOW HE'S OUT HUNTING AGAIN, WITH HIS CAMERA, AND NOW AND THEN, HE USES AN ANCIENT INUIT MAGIC TRICK.

[CAMERA BEEPS] [TOOT] [TOOT] [GERT SPEAKING INUIT LANGUAGE] TRANSLATOR: I DO THIS CALL TO ATTRACT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS BECAUSE WHEN ONE BLOWS, THE NORTHERN LIGHTS SEEM TO COME CLOSER.

SINCE I DISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHY, I FOUND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS MORE AND MORE EXCITING.

NARRATOR: ACCORDING TO THE INUIT, YOU CAN ALSO HEAR THE AURORA.

TONIGHT, HOWEVER, THE SILENCE IS TOTAL.

SEVERAL HOURS PASS UNTIL THE AURORAL ACTIVITY FADES AGAIN.

FROM EAST GREENLAND, OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES TO NORTHERN NORWAY.

IN TROMSO, A CAPITAL OF NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE AURORA STARTS AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON.

THIS IS LIGHT-EMITTING PLASMA IN A VACUUM CHAMBER IN THE MUSEUM OF TROMSO.

THE NEXT SERVICING IS DUE HERE.

TROND JOVART HAS TO OVERHAUL THE EARTH, OR AT LEAST A MODEL OF IT.

THIS SO-CALLED TERRELLA IS A METAL SPHERE WITH MAGNETS INSIDE, A SIMULATION OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

TROND HAS TO REGULARLY REMOVE A CRUST DEPOSITED BY ELECTRICALLY CHARGED PLASMA.

THE NORWEGIAN PIONEER OF AURORA RESEARCH, KRISTIAN BIRKELAND, USED SUCH A METAL MODEL OF THE EARTH TO GENERATE AN ARTIFICIAL AURORA.

CESAR LA HOZ, FROM PERU, IS ONE OF THE AURORA SCIENTISTS AT THE TROMSO UNIVERSITY.

HE IS A RADAR EXPERT AND STUDIES THE POLAR LIGHT IN DETAIL.

[BUZZING] IN THE VACUUM CHAMBER, AN ELECTRODE EMITS IONS.

THE RESULTING PLASMA IS SHAPED INTO RINGS BY THE TERRELLA'S MAGNETS.

THERE ARE NOT ONLY NORTHERN BUT ALSO SOUTHERN LIGHTS-- AURORA BOREALIS AND AUSTRALIS.

BUT THEY DO NOT EXACTLY MIRROR EACH OTHER.

CESAR: THEY HAVE THE SAME SOURCE.

UH, THE SOURCE CHANGES IN TIME AND POSSIBLY IN SPACE, ALSO.

WHEN IT CHANGES IN TIME, THEN THAT TIME CHANGE IS REFLECTED, UH, WITH SOME DELAY IN THE AURORA IN THE NORTH AND ALSO IN THE AURORA IN THE SOUTH.

WHEN THE SOURCE MOVES AROUND SO THE AURORA ALSO IN THE NORTH MOVE AND ALSO IN THE SOUTH MOVE CORRESPONDINGLY.

SO IN THE LARGER SCALE, THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE LOCAL CONDITIONS THAT MAKE--MAKE THEM DIFFERENT IN DETAIL.

NARRATOR: THE AURORA'S SOURCE IS THE SOLAR WIND, A CONSTANT FLOW OF CHARGED PARTICLES WHICH THE SUN EMITS INTO SPACE.

MOST OF THESE PARTICLES ARE ELECTRONS AND PROTONS.

WHEN THIS SHOWER OF PARTICLES HITS THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD, THE FIELD IS DENTED, WHILE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE EARTH, IT BULGES.

SOLAR PARTICLES ENTER THE MAGNETOSPHERE THROUGH EARTH'S POLAR REGIONS AND ON THE FAR SIDE FROM THE SUN.

IF THEY CARRY ENOUGH ENERGY, THEY COME RIGHT DOWN TO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THERE THEY COLLIDE WITH ATOMS AND CAUSE THEM TO LIGHT UP.

AT AROUND 200 KILOMETERS ALTITUDE, OXYGEN ATOMS EMIT REDDISH LIGHT.

BELOW THAT, THE LIGHT TURNS GREENISH.

SO THE AURORA'S COLORS DEPEND ON THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED.

APART FROM THE OXYGEN, WHICH EMITS RED OR GREENISH LIGHT DEPENDING ON ALTITUDE, NITROGEN WILL EMIT A REDDISH OR BLUISH GLOW.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD IS SUBJECT TO SPONTANEOUS SHIFTS.

THIS EFFECT CATAPULTS PARTICLES TO THE POLAR REGIONS.

THIS IS WHERE THE SO-CALLED AURORAL OVALS ARE LOCATED.

THEIR POSITION AND SIZE WILL CHANGE ACCORDING TO THE ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT.

NOT FAR FROM TROMSO IS AN IMPORTANT ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH FACILITY.

THE RAMFJORD RADAR STATION EXPLORES WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE IONOSPHERE.

FROM ABOUT 50 KILOMETERS UPWARDS, THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS MORE AND MORE IONS AND FREE ELECTRONS, SO IN HIGHER LAYERS, THERE ARE FLOWS OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS.

FROM THE EARTH'S SURFACE, RADAR SIGNALS ARE SENT UP THERE.

AS THE SIGNALS HIT ELECTRONS IN THE IONOSPHERE, THEY ARE REFLECTED AND DIFFUSED.

THE RESULTING RADAR ECHO TELLS RESEARCHERS ABOUT THE PLASMA'S DENSITY AND ITS DIRECTION AND SPEED OF MOVEMENT, FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE AURORA.

AT TIMES, WHEN THE ACTIVITY INTENSIFIES, THE AURORAL OVAL EXPANDS.

THIS IS CALLED AN AURORAL SUBSTORM.

PHYSICIST MAGNAR GULLIKSTAD JOHNSEN EXPLAINS.

MAGNAR: THE AURORAL SUBSTORM IS A VERY OLD SUBJECT THAT HAS BEEN STUDIED SINCE THE SIXTIES, BUT WE STILL ARE NOT ABLE TO--TO TELL WHAT'S ACTUALLY TRIGGERING IT.

SO--SO WE KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND WE CAN SAY, "NOW WE'RE HAVING A SUBSTORM" OR "A SUBSTORM IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN," BUT EXACTLY WHAT PHYSICAL MECHANISM THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AURORAL SUBSTORMS IS--IS STILL QUITE UNKNOWN.

NARRATOR: SO AURORA RESEARCHERS WILL NOT RUN OUT OF WORK FOR A LONG TIME.

ARNOY ISLAND, 60 KILOMETERS NORTHEAST OF TROMSO, IS A SUMMER PASTURE FOR REINDEER.

3,000 TO 4,000 ANIMALS SPEND THE SUMMER HERE.

THIS HERD BELONGS TO THE FAMILY OF MAY-TORILL SIRI AND HER HUSBAND NILS JOHAN.

THEY ARE SAMI PEOPLE.

SEPTEMBER IS THE SEASON WHEN THE REINDEER ARE ROUNDED UP AND MOVED TO THEIR WINTER QUARTERS ON THE MAINLAND.

THE SAMI HAVE HERDED REINDEER FOR MANY CENTURIES.

IN SPITE OF MODERN AMENITIES, THEIR LIFE IS STILL CLOSELY CONNECTED TO NATURE.

AND IN THIS, THE NORTHERN LIGHTS PLAY A CERTAIN ROLE.

[SPEAKING SAMI LANGUAGE] TRANSLATOR: IT IS A SIGN, WHEN YOU SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHT, THAT THE WEATHER IS GOING TO BE BAD.

IT SIGNALS A CHANGE OF WEATHER.

WE OFTEN SAY THAT THE NORTHERN LIGHT IS A WHISPERING LIGHT BECAUSE YOU CAN HEAR A SOUND, BUT AS I SAID, IT MEANS THAT THE WEATHER IS GOING TO BE BAD.

NARRATOR: AND INDEED, THE SKY DARKENS.

CONCERNING SOUNDS ACCOMPANYING THE AURORA, IT'S NOT JUST THE INUIT WHO MENTION THEM.

THE SAMI HEAR THEM, TOO.

BUT AGAIN, THERE IS NO SOUND.

LATE IN THE EVENING WHEN THE DAY'S WORK IS DONE, MAY-TORILL AND NILS JOHAN CAN RELAX A LITTLE.

MAY-TORILL ALSO WORKS AS A TEACHER, AND SHE IS FAMOUS FOR HER JOIKING, THE TRADITIONAL SAMI STYLE OF SINGING.

[SINGING IN SAMI LANGUAGE] MAY-TORILL KNOWS MANY STORIES ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

[MAY-TORILL SPEAKING SAMI LANGUAGE] TRANSLATOR: THIS STORY IS ABOUT TWO BROTHERS WHO HAD TO LOOK AFTER A REINDEER HERD.

NARRATOR: ONE MORNING, THE BROTHERS LEFT THEIR TENT AND RAN TO THEIR HERD TO LOOK AFTER THE REINDEER.

WHEN THE SUN ROSE, THEY FROLICKED AROUND, AND THE YOUNGER ONE BEGAN TO MAKE FUN OF THE SUN.

HIS BROTHER WARNED HIM NOT TO DO THAT, BUT IN VAIN.

[WIND BLOWING] THE SUN HID BEHIND THICK CLOUDS, AND A STORM CAME UP.

[THUNDER] FULL OF FEAR, THE TWO HID IN THEIR TENT FOR DAYS WHILE THE STORM RAGED.

[THUNDER] FINALLY THE WEATHER CALMED AND THE MOON CAME OUT, BUT THE LITTLE RASCAL ALSO MOCKED THE MOON.

IMMEDIATELY, AN ICY FROST FELL ON THE LAND.

[WIND HOWLING] AGAIN THE TWO BROTHERS SAT IN THEIR TENT FOR DAYS.

THE FROST TOOK ITS TOLL.

ON THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, THE SKY WAS CLEAR.

THE YOUNGER BROTHER WENT OUTSIDE.

HE STILL HAD NOT LEARNED HIS LESSON.

THIS TIME, HE MOCKED THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

WHAT A MISTAKE.

THE OLDER BROTHER WENT TO LOOK FOR HIM.

ALL HE FOUND WAS A HEAP OF ASHES.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS HAD SEVERELY PUNISHED THE CHEEKY BOY.

THE SAMI PEOPLE REGARD THE NORTHERN LIGHTS AS THEIR ANCESTORS, WHO MUST BE MET WITH RESPECT AND AWE.

AWE AND FEAR WAS ALSO A COMMON REACTION WHENEVER THE AURORA APPEARED IN CENTRAL EUROPE.

HERE, DUE TO THE SHAPE OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD, THE AURORA APPEARS IN HIGHER ALTITUDES AND IS THEREFORE USUALLY RED.

16th-CENTURY PAINTINGS SHOW FLAMES AND CANDLES AS THE RED SKY'S CAUSE.

IT WAS SEEN AS A BAD OMEN.

PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT SUCH SIGNS FORESHADOWED WARS, PLAGUES, AND FAMINES.

IN FACT, THERE WERE INSTANCES WHEN HARVESTS FAILED.

IN THE 17th CENTURY, THE CLIMATE GOT COLDER.

THIS LITTLE ICE AGE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY AN EXTREMELY LOW SOLAR ACTIVITY.

THE KANZELHOHE SOLAR OBSERVATORY IN CORINTHIA, AUSTRIA.

HERE, RESEARCHERS MONITOR THE SUN'S ACTIVITY ON A DAILY BASIS.

ALL THEIR OBSERVATIONS ARE KEPT ON RECORD.

THE RESEARCHERS MAKE DRAWINGS OF THE SUNSPOTS THEY SEE.

THESE ADDITIONAL RECORDS ARE USEFUL EVEN THOUGH THE SUN IS MONITORED BY COMPUTER-CONTROLLED CAMERAS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

NOW AND THEN, IN DIFFICULT VISUAL CONDITIONS, THE HUMAN EYE CAN BE THE BETTER INSTRUMENT.

SUNSPOTS ARE COOLER AREAS ON THE SUN'S SURFACE.

THEIR NUMBER VARIES AT AN 11-YEAR CYCLE.

THE MORE SPOTS, THE MORE ACTIVE IS THE SUN.

IN QUIET PHASES, THERE ARE OFTEN NO SPOTS AT ALL.

THE ARCHIVE OF THE KANZELHOHE OBSERVATORY IS A TREASURE TROVE FOR SOME RESEARCHERS.

THE RECORD OF DRAWINGS GOES BACK UNINTERRUPTED FOR ALMOST 8 DECADES.

IN ADDITION, ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE BEING DIGITIZED.

CURRENT OBSERVATIONS ARE REPORTED TO THE WORLD DATA CENTER OF THE SUNSPOT INDEX AT BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

THE GENERAL TEMPERATURE OF THE SUN'S SURFACE IS 6,000 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.

THE SUNSPOTS ARE JUST 5,000 DEGREES.

THEY ARE CAUSED BY SHIFTS IN THE SUN'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

MAN: 3, 2, 1, 0.

AND IGNITION AND LIFT-OFF.

NARRATOR: FEBRUARY 11, 2010.

AN ATLAS ROCKET LIFTS THE SDO, NASA'S SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY, INTO SPACE.

THIS SATELLITE IS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SUN.

[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION] SDO CARRIES 4 CAMERAS, WHICH RECORD THE SUN IN DIFFERENT COLORS.

THE COLORS REPRESENT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES, SO THE RESEARCHERS CAN VISUALIZE THE SUN'S ACTIVITY ACCORDING TO THE TEMPERATURE.

ONE EXAMPLE IS THE ERUPTION ON JULY 7, 2011.

IN THE IMAGE ON THE LEFT, IT'S HARDLY DISCERNIBLE, BUT THE OTHER 3 IMAGES SHOW IMPRESSIVE DETAIL.

THESE IMAGES CONVEY AN IMPRESSION OF THE ENORMOUS FORCES BEHIND SOLAR ERUPTIONS.

SOME OF THE LUMPS DROPPING BACK INTO THE SUN ARE THE SIZE OF OUR PLANET.

THE SUN'S ACTIVITY INFLUENCES THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE INTERPLAY IN THE CONTACT ZONE OF THE SOLAR WIND AND THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD IS CALLED SPACE WEATHER.

AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, EVA ROBBRECHT PREPARES A SPECIAL WEATHER REPORT.

SHE IS A SOLAR PHYSICIST AND COMBINES DAILY DATA OF THE SOLAR AND EARTH'S MAGNETIC ACTIVITY INTO A SPACE WEATHER PROGNOSIS FOR ENERGY SUPPLIES AND SATELLITE SERVICES.

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2011, THERE WAS A HUGE ERUPTION ON THE SUN.

THE SCIENTISTS WERE SURPRISED.

THIS FLARE WAS THE FIRST OF THE NEW SUNSPOT CYCLE.

EVA: NOW, WE CAN HAVE A LOOK AT THE, UH, SURFACE OF THE SUN, WHERE WE MEASURE THE MAGNETIC FIELD, SO WE GO HERE, AND SO A FEW DAYS BEFORE THIS REGION OCCURRED, THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE SUN, SO THAT'S WHY WE WERE VERY SURPRISED.

AND THEN WHAT WE SEE HERE IS THE MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENT.

SO WHITE MEANS POSITIVE MAGNETIC FIELD.

BLACK MEANS NEGATIVE MAGNETIC FIELD, AND YOU WILL SEE WHEN I START THE MOVIE THAT OVER THE COURSE OF 4 DAYS, THIS, UH, ACTIVE REGION DEVELOPED VERY QUICKLY, AND IT BECAME VERY COMPLEX, AND WHAT WE CALL A COMPLEX ACTIVE REGION IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE NICELY SEPARATED A WHITE AND A BLACK DOT, BUT YOU HAVE A VERY COMPLEX MAGNETIC FIELD, UH, CONFIGURATION THERE, AND THAT'S WHY IT, UH, COULD PRODUCE SO STRONG FLARING ACTIVITY.

NARRATOR: AND THE SUN'S ACTIVITY IS INCREASING.

SINCE THAT FIRST ERUPTION, SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE BEEN RECORDED FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE.

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, UNIQUE IMAGES OF THE EFFECTS OF THESE ERUPTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.

THE AURORA, SEEN FROM SOME 400 KILOMETERS ABOVE THE EARTH.

RESEARCH SATELLITES LIKE NASA's THEMIS OR ITS EUROPEAN COUNTERPART, CLUSTER, MEASURE THE MUTUAL EFFECTS BETWEEN THE SOLAR WIND AND THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

THE AIM IS TO BETTER PREDICT THE SPACE WEATHER.

THE AURORA IS A VISIBLE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPACE WEATHER.

THIS IS THE EUROPEAN SPACE OPERATION CENTER--ESOC-- IN DARMSTADT, GERMANY.

IN THE CONTROL ROOM OF THE CLUSTER MISSION, A DATA TRANSFER FROM ORBIT TO EARTH IS ABOUT TO START.

MAN: PRINTOUT.

CAN I GET A RANGING SEQUENCE... NARRATOR: SATELLITES OFTEN SUFFER DAMAGE FROM STORMY SPACE WEATHER.

AS THE HEAD OF ESOC's SOLAR AND PLANETARY MISSIONS DIVISION, PAOLO FERRI EXPLAINS.

PAOLO: UH, WE HAD A CASE RECENTLY WITH ONE OF OUR, UH, INTERPLANETARY SPACECRAFT.

IT WAS FLYING AROUND VENUS, AND, UH, AND THIS WAS HIT BY A BIG SOLAR FLARE.

TOTALLY UNEXPECTED BECAUSE THE FLARE IS VERY DIRECTIONAL, SO IT WAS NOT COMING TO THE EARTH.

IT WAS GOING TOWARDS VENUS.

THE SPACECRAFT WAS BLINDED.

IT LOST, COMPLETELY, ITS, UH, CONTROL OF THE ALTITUDE.

UH, IT TOOK US ABOUT 20 HOURS TO--TO RECOVER THE STAR TRACKERS AGAIN AND RECOVER THE FULL OPERATIONAL OF THE SPACE-- OPERATIONAL MODE OF THE SPACECRAFT.

HAD IT LASTED 1 1/2 DAYS, THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED A BIG, BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE THE SPACECRAFT WOULD HAVE LOST THE POINTING TO EARTH.

WE WOULD HAVE LOST THE CONTACT.

WE WOULD HAVE LOST, POSSIBLY, EVEN THE--THE SUN--SOLAR POWER ON THE SOLAR ARRAYS, SO THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO LOSS OF A SPACECRAFT.

NARRATOR: IN THE PAST, THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS CRITICAL SATELLITE INCIDENTS.

WHEN ENERGETIC PARTICLES HIT SENSITIVE ELECTRONIC PARTS, COMPLETE SYSTEMS ON BOARD CAN BE KNOCKED OUT.

THE WORST CASE IS A SATELLITE ENDING UP AS SPACE DEBRIS.

MODERN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY IS EVER MORE DEPENDENT ON ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND ELECTRONIC SERVICES.

IN OUR DIGITAL WORLD, ELECTRIC FAILURE MEANS COLLAPSE.

THEREFORE, SOLAR ERUPTIONS ARE INCREASINGLY BECOMING A REAL THREAT.

IN EARLY 2011, A STUDY COMMISSIONED BY THE OECD WARNED OF THE EFFECT OF GEOMAGNETIC STORMS CAUSED BY SOLAR ERUPTIONS IN THE FUTURE.

THE BEST KNOWN EXAMPLE IS AN ERUPTION ON MARCH 13, 1989, WHICH CAUSED THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ELECTRIC GRID OF CANADA'S QUEBEC PROVINCE.

WHEN A TRANSFORMER COLLAPSED, SO DID THE GRID, CUTTING OFF 6 MILLION PEOPLE FROM ELECTRICITY.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIABLE PREDICTIONS IS NOT ONLY, UH, TO GET THE ALARMS IN TIME BEFORE THE STORM COMES, BUT ALSO NOT TO GET TOO MANY FALSE ALARMS, BECAUSE EVERY ALARM HAS AN ECONOMICAL IMPACT, AND IF THE ALARM IS A FALSE ALARM, THEN YOU'RE NOT TOO HAPPY WITH THAT.

SO THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIABLE PREDICTIONS IS NOT ONLY TO HAVE THEM EARLY ENOUGH BUT TO HAVE THEM RELIABLE SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY INTERVENE ONLY WHEN IT'S NECESSARY TO INTERVENE.

NARRATOR: THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY AND NASA ARE WORKING ON A COMPREHENSIVE SPACE WEATHER WARNING SYSTEM.

SCIENTISTS AROUND THE GLOBE EXPLORE SPACE PHENOMENA IN OUR PLANET'S VICINITY, ALSO FROM THE LESS POPULATED SOUTHERN HALF OF THE GLOBE.

APART FROM ANTARCTICA, NEW ZEALAND IS ONE OF THE FEW AREAS TO OBSERVE THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS.

INVERCARGILL, ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF NEW ZEALAND, IS FAMOUS FOR ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION.

IT'S THE CITY CLOSEST TO THE MAGNETIC SOUTH POLE.

JOHN DEVLIN OF MELBOURNE'S LA TROBE UNIVERSITY IS ON HIS WAY TO AN EMERGENCY.

IT'S MID-JULY.

THE LAND IS WATERLOGGED BY THE CONSTANT RAINS OF THE SOUTHERN WINTER.

THE UNWIN RADAR STATION IS SURROUNDED BY SHEEP AND CATTLE PASTURES.

[SHEEP BLEATING] THIS INSTALLATION, TOGETHER WITH ONE IN TASMANIA, IS BEING REMOTE-CONTROLLED FROM MELBOURNE.

THEY EXPLORE THE IONOSPHERE AND THE SPACE WEATHER.

ONE OF THE MASTS HAS BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

AN ENGINEER IS CHECKING FOR DAMAGE.

THIS RADAR STATION IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF A WORLDWIDE MONITORING NETWORK WHICH OPERATES AROUND THE CLOCK.

YUP.

THE CABLE'S GOOD.

UNWIN IS ONE OF 25 STATIONS OF THE SUPERDARN PROJECT AROUND THE GLOBE WHICH CONTINUOUSLY MEASURES ELECTRIC CURRENTS IN THE IONOSPHERE.

ONE PHENOMENON UNDER OBSERVATION ARE THE POLAR ELECTROJETS, CIRCULAR CURRENTS OCCURRING SOME 100 KILOMETERS ABOVE THE POLAR REGIONS.

DURING MAJOR SHIFTS OF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD, THESE CURRENTS REACH PEAKS OF ONE MILLION AMPERE.

AT SUCH TIMES, THE POLAR LIGHT ZONES EXPAND TOWARDS THE EQUATOR.

THIS IS A CASE FOR STEPHEN VOSS, A MEDICAL DOCTOR FASCINATED BY SPACE PHENOMENA.

IN HIS GARDEN IN INVERCARGILL, HE HAS BUILT HIS OWN OBSERVATORY.

[BEEPING] FROM HERE, THE AMATEUR ASTRONOMER WATCHES AND PHOTOGRAPHS GALAXIES AND NEBULAS.

BUT HIS SPECIAL INTEREST IS THE POLAR LIGHT.

VIA THE INTERNET, STEPHEN GETS ALL THE AVAILABLE DATA.

WHENEVER THERE IS A CHANCE FOR AN AURORA, THE STARMAN HITS THE ROAD.

OVER THE YEARS, STEPHEN HAS FOUND SOME GOOD SPOTS TO LIE IN WAIT.

ALTHOUGH AURORAS ARE RARE IN NEW ZEALAND, HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GET SOME EXCEPTIONAL SHOTS.

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS] TO STEPHEN VOSS, THE POLAR LIGHT HOLDS A MYSTERIOUS APPEAL.

STEPHEN: SO THERE'S CERTAINLY A MYSTIQUE ABOUT THE AURORA FOR ME-- THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS PREDICTABLE.

UH, AS MUCH AS WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE, UM, WE CAN LOOK AT SOLAR WIND DATA AND ATTEMPT TO PREDICT WHEN THE AURORA IS MORE LIKELY TO PLAY.

UM, SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS, AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T, AND WE'VE NOT PERFECTED THAT SCIENCE, BUT THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT MORE SPECIAL-- UM, THAT SOMETIMES I CAN COME OUT HERE AND WAIT FOR 3 HOURS AND SEE NOTHING, AND SOMETIMES I CAN SEE A MARVELOUS DISPLAY IN A SHORT SPACE OF TIME.

EVERY AURORA IS DIFFERENT, EVERY PHOTOGRAPH, EVERY IMAGE IS DIFFERENT, AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS THAT LITTLE BIT OF EXCITEMENT WHEN I KNOW THERE'S A CHANCE THE AURORA MAY PLAY.

UH, NEVER QUITE SURE EXACTLY WHAT I'M GOING TO SEE.

NARRATOR: THE NORTHERN LIGHTS APPEAR ABOVE VAST POPULATED AREAS, SO THEY ARE SEEN BY MANY PEOPLE, WHEREAS THERE ARE FEWER WITNESSES OF THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS.

BUT EVEN HERE, THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHT IN THE SKY HAS LEFT ITS TRACES IN NATIVE CULTURES.

DEAN WHAANGA IS A MAORI AND THE LOCAL SPOKESMAN OF THE NGAI TAHU TRIBE.

[SPEAKING MAORI LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: HERE ON MATAPAUA, A HILL SACRED TO THE MAORI, DEAN PERFORMS A KARAKIA, A RITUAL SUPPLICATION TO NATURE.

[SPEAKING MAORI LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: INCREASINGLY IN THESE MODERN TIMES, MANY MAORI AGAIN FOSTER THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH EARTH AND NATURE.

THE MAORI, TOO, HAVE STORIES ABOUT THE AURORA.

ONE TELLS OF TAMARERETI, THE DISCOVERER WHO ONCE TRAVELED SOUTH IN A CANOE IN ORDER TO LEARN ABOUT THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS.

SOME OF THE WOODEN SCULPTURES AT THE MARAE, THE MAORI CULTURAL CENTER AT THE BASE OF THE HILL, TELL OF THIS LEGENDARY ADVENTURE.

ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION, TAMARERETI AND HIS CREW REACHED THE ANTARCTIC ICE.

THERE, THEY STAYED FOR SOME TIME, EXPERIENCING THE POLAR NIGHT AND THE AURORA.

UPON THEIR RETURN, THEIR CANOE SANK NEAR THE COAST, AND THE CREW DROWNED, EXCEPT TWO MEN WHO LIVED TO TELL THE STORY.

BUT THERE ARE MORE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE MAORI AND THE AURORA AUSTRALIS.

THERE'S ANOTHER STORY THAT OUR-- SOME OF THE NORTHERN TRIBES TELL ABOUT HOW THE TAHUNANUI, TURANGI, THEY CALL IT, OR THE FLAMES IN THE SKY, AND IT'S ABOUT WHEN-- WHEN THE FIRST MAORI ARRIVED IN NEW ZEALAND-- UM, THE GROUPS OF WAKA, OR CANOES-- UH, SOME OF THEM SETTLED IN THE NORTH ISLAND, OR TE IKA-A-MAUI.

OTHERS CAME SOUTH TO TE WAIPOUNAMU, WHICH IS THIS LAND THAT WE'RE STANDING ON NOW.

AND THEN OTHERS WANTED TO HEAD ON SOUTH TO SEE WHAT WAS FURTHER SOUTH.

NARRATOR: THE COURAGEOUS SEAFARERS DEPARTED FROM AOTEAROA, THE LAND OF THE GREAT WHITE CLOUD, AS NEW ZEALAND IS CALLED BY THE MAORI.

THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS STAYED BEHIND AND WATCHED THE CANOE DISAPPEAR SOUTHWARD INTO UNCHARTED WATERS.

WHEN THEY WERE FAR OUT AT SEA, A SUDDEN STORM AROSE.

[THUNDER] THE GUSTS WERE VIOLENT, THE WAVES HIGH.

EVENTUALLY, THE EXHAUSTED CREW WAS LUCKY TO DISCOVER LAND ON THE HORIZON.

WITH THEIR LAST STRENGTH, THEY REACHED THE SHORE.

TO WARM THEMSELVES AND HAVE LIGHT IN THE NIGHT, THEY LIT A BIG FIRE.

THE NIGHT SKY REFLECTED THE LIGHT OF THE FLAMES, AND THE REFLECTION CAN BE SEEN BACK HOME IN AOTEAROA.

FAMILIES AND FRIENDS BACK HOME INTERPRETED THE GREAT GLOW IN THE SKY AS A SIGN THAT THEIR RELATIVES BEYOND THE OCEAN WERE STILL ALIVE.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PACIFIC, THERE IS A LEGEND OF BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WITH CURLY HAIR ARRIVING IN A CANOE A LONG TIME AGO.

OFF THE WEST COAST OF CANADA LIES AN ARCHIPELAGO, THE FORMER QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS.

SINCE 2009, IT'S BEEN CALLED HAIDA GWAII.

POSSIBLY, POLYNESIAN MIGRANTS MAY HAVE REACHED THESE MYSTIC RAINFOREST ISLANDS.

JAMES SHELFORD IS A MAORI.

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, HE MOVED FROM NEW ZEALAND TO HAIDA GWAII.

THE ISLANDS TAKE THEIR NAME FROM THE HAIDA TRIBE, WHO HAVE INHABITED THEM FOR THE PAST 10,000 YEARS.

HAIDA GWAII LIES ON THE SAME LATITUDE AS IRELAND.

HERE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS CAN BE SEEN FROM TIME TO TIME.

FOR JAMES SHELFORD, THIS NATURAL SPECTACLE HAS A VERY PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

JAMES: I GET LOTS OF ENERGY FROM IT.

IT GIVES ME A REASON TO LIVE WHEN THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE ON AND WHEN I'M OUTSIDE.

IT MAKES ME WANT TO DO GOOD FOR MY FAMILY.

IT MAKES ME THINK REALLY DEEP ABOUT MY FAMILY-- UH, MY CHILDHOOD.

IT RELAXES ME SOMETIMES.

IT GETS ME MOTIVATED.

IT ALL DEPENDS WHAT--HOW I FEEL AND WHAT MY SURROUNDINGS ARE, BUT IT MEANS LOTS TO ME.

NARRATOR: THE OCEAN AND THE WOODS-- THESE ARE THE CHARACTERIZING ELEMENTS OF HAIDA GWAII.

THE DENSE WOODS ARE ALSO A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR THE ISLANDERS.

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IS A MAJOR SOURCE OF INCOME ON HAIDA GWAII.

JAMES SHELFORD USED TO WORK AS A LOGGER.

TODAY HE DRIVES ONE OF THE HUGE TRUCKS THAT TAKE THE TIMBER TO THE SAWMILLS AND THE PORTS.

HERE, 150 TONS ARE ON THE MOVE.

IT'S A HAZARDOUS DRIVE.

IN LATE OCTOBER, RAINFALL IS ABUNDANT HERE.

ON THIS NARROW FOREST ROAD, THE ONLY ACCESS TO THE FOREST AREA, SEVERE ACCIDENTS ARE NOT UNCOMMON, SO THE TIMBER TRANSPORTS TAKE THEIR TIME.

IN THE HAIDA CULTURE, WOOD HAS ALWAYS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE.

THE HAIDA HAVE NO ALPHABET.

THEY HAVE ALWAYS RECORDED THEIR HISTORY IN ORAL STORIES AND WOODEN SCULPTURES.

HAIDA MASKS AND TOTEM POLES ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR EXPRESSION.

THE SCULPTOR GARNER MOODY IS A MASTER OF HIS PROFESSION.

THE TOTEM POLES TELL STORIES-- FOR INSTANCE, OF THE RAVEN WHO BROUGHT LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

[MAN SINGING IN HAIDA LANGUAGE] GUUJAAW IS PRESIDENT OF THE HAIDA NATION, THE POLITICAL LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE.

HIS NAME MEANS "DRUM."

FOR SOME TIME NOW, THE HAIDA HAVE AGAIN FOSTERED, SUCCESSFULLY, THEIR RICH CULTURAL TRADITIONS.

GUUJAAW: THE EXISTENCE OF THE SUPERNATURALS AND THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY COME TO US IS, UH, UM, VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR DAY-TO-DAY EXISTENCE.

WE SEE IT, UH, EVERY DAY IN THE RAINBOWS AND THE, UH, NORTHERN LIGHTS.

WE SEE IT IN THE, UH-- IN THE OCEAN AND THE DIFFERENT CREATURES THAT WE SHARE THE LANDS WITH.

NARRATOR: THE LANDSCAPE OF HAIDA GWAII REFLECTS THE PRISTINE QUALITY OF THE ARCHIPELAGO'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE PEOPLE'S CLOSENESS TO IT.

ALTHOUGH THE HAIDA DON'T LIVE IN THE ARCTIC, THEY CAN NEVERTHELESS RELATE TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

ONCE, THE HAIDA HAD THEIR OWN IMAGE OF THE WORLD THEY INHABITED.

THE ELDERS TOLD THAT THE SKY IS LIKE AN INVERTED BOWL MADE OF SKIN, LIKE THEIR SHELTERS IN ANCIENT TIMES.

THE SKY, IN OTHER WORDS, WAS AN ANIMAL SKIN.

OF WHICH ANIMAL HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN.

EACH EVENING, THIS SKIN SLOWLY SANK DOWN ON THE EARTH, DARKENING IT.

THE STARS WERE TINY HOLES IN THE SKIN THROUGH WHICH THE SUNLIGHT WOULD SPARKLE.

AT TIMES, THE SKIN WOULD CATCH FIRE.

"THE SKIN OF THE SKY IS BURNING!"

IS THE HAIDA'S EXPRESSION FOR THE AURORA IN THEIR OLD LEGENDS.

AMONG THE HAIDA, MUCH OF THEIR ANCESTORS' KNOWLEDGE HAS ALREADY BEEN LOST.

ONE OF THE PERSONS WHO IS LABORING TO PRESERVE THEIR OLD LANGUAGE IS DIANE BROWN.

SHE HAS A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT THE AURORA TO TELL.

DIANE: MY FIRST, UH, GRANDDAUGHTER, A WEEK BEFORE SHE WAS BORN, HER MOTHER, MY DAUGHTER, DREAMT SHE WAS ON THE-- THE PORCH OF A FRIEND, STANDING ON THE PORCH IN THE EVENING, AND THE WHOLE SKY LIT UP WITH, UM, NORTHERN LIGHTS, AND IN THE DREAM, SHE CALLED THE FRIEND AND SAID, "COME AND SEE THE SKY.

THERE'S NORTHERN LIGHTS ALL OVER."

WELL, A WEEK LATER, THE NIGHT MY GRANDDAUGHTER WAS BORN, THE WHOLE SKY, LIKE, ALL THE WAY FROM SKIDEGATE OUT IN THE NARROWS, ABOVE IN QUEEN CHARLOTTE, IT WAS ALL, LIKE, DIFFERENT COLORS-- REDS AND GREENS AND BLUES.

IT WAS JUST, LIKE, FULL OF THESE BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN LIGHTS.

NARRATOR: WHOEVER HAS SEEN SUCH AN INTENSIVE AURORA WILL NEVER FORGET THIS EXPERIENCE.

FOLLOWING CANADA'S COAST FROM HAIDA GWAII NORTHWARD, WE REACH ALASKA.

IN AND AROUND FAIRBANKS ARE SOME OF THE WORLD'S LEADING AURORA RESEARCH CENTERS.

THIS IS THE SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER OF POKER FLAT RESEARCH RANGE, HALF AN HOUR'S DRIVE OUTSIDE FAIRBANKS.

DONALD HAMPTON WORKS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA'S GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE.

HERE IN POKER FLAT, HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AURORA OBSERVATIONS WITH OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS.

THIS WINTER'S FIRST SNOW HAS ALREADY FALLEN.

IT'S 10 BELOW ZERO.

FROM TIME TO TIME, DON HAS TO CHECK THE CAMERAS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS AND READJUST THEM IF NEEDED.

OPTICAL OBSERVATION IS STILL AN INTEGRAL PART OF AURORA RESEARCH.

IN COMBINATION WITH RADAR AND SATELLITE DATA, THE OPTICAL RECORD CONTRIBUTES TO A COMPREHENSIVE IMAGE OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE AURORA.

DONALD: SO THIS IS NOW AN ALL SKY CAMERA.

WE'VE PUT ON THIS FISH-EYE LENS, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO SEE FROM HORIZON TO HORIZON IN A SINGLE CAMERA.

UH, IF WE TAKE THIS CAMERA AND THE OTHER CAMERAS ACROSS THE STATE OR ACROSS CANADA AND--AND MAP OUT THE--THE IMAGES OF WHERE THE AURORA IS AT ANY TIME, THIS GIVES US CONTEXT ABOUT WHERE, UH, THE AURORA IS HAPPENING, UH, ON THE GLOBE.

IT TELLS US HOW ACTIVE THE AURORA IS, UH, AND GIVES US HOW MUCH ENERGY IS BEING PUT IN FROM THE SUN.

NOW, THIS LENS IS A NARROW-FIELD LENS.

UH, IT LETS US SEE MORE DETAILED STRUCTURE-- A SMALLER FIELD OF VIEW, IF YOU WILL.

UM, THIS LETS US SEE THE DYNAMICS OF THE AURORA AND THE AURORA FORMS THAT ARE FORMED AND GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT'S CAUSING THE AURORA AT ANY ONE TIME.

NARRATOR: MEANWHILE, THE RESEARCHERS FOCUS ON SMALLER STRUCTURES WITHIN THE AURORA IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THE PHENOMENON.

BUT THE AURORA IS NOT JUST A VISUAL PHENOMENON.

VARIOUS ARCTIC PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THAT IT ALSO EMITS SOUNDS.

IN FAIRBANKS, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, RESEARCHERS HAVE TRIED FOR A LONG TIME TO RECORD AURORA SOUNDS, WITHOUT SUCCESS.

JAY HELMERICKS DEVELOPS HIGHLY SENSITIVE MICROPHONES FOR THE INFRASOUND RANGE, WAY BELOW THE RANGE THAT HUMANS CAN HEAR.

SUCH MICROPHONES ARE USED, AMONG OTHER PURPOSES, TO MONITOR THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY.

THIS INSTRUMENT WILL PICK UP THE SLIGHTEST OF SOUNDS.

PHYSICIST CHARLES WILSON HAS BEEN RESEARCHING INFRASOUND FOR DECADES.

HE HAS FOUND THAT THE AURORA DOES EMIT SOUND WAVES, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE INAUDIBLE TO THE HUMAN EAR.

AT THIS LISTENING POST NEAR THE UNIVERSITY, AURORAL INFRASONIC WAVES HAVE BEEN RECORDED.

ONE SOURCE OF THE SOUND IS THE BOW WAVE GENERATED BY THE SUPERSONIC MOTION OF AN AURORAL ARC, WHICH CONTAINS POWERFUL ELECTROJET CURRENTS.

[SOUND LIKE DISTANT THUNDER] AURORAL INFRASOUND, MADE AUDIBLE TO HUMAN EARS BY ACCELERATING THE SIGNAL 2,000-FOLD.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE ALLEGATIONS OF AUDIBLE AURORA SOUNDS?

CHARLES: THERE IS A SENSATION ASSOCIATED WITH A BRIGHT, MOVING AURORA, THAT I EXPERIENCED MYSELF WHEN I WAS IN ANTARCTICA DURING THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR IN 1958.

I HAD THE SENSATION OF SOUND THAT WAS SORT OF LIKE "SHHHH," AND THAT'S THE TYPE OF SOUND THAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY THEY HEAR, AND, UM, THE MOST PROBABLE EXPLANATION FOR THIS IS THAT IT IS CROSSTALK IN THE BRAIN THAT WHEN THE VISUAL NERVE IS CLOSE TO THE AUDITORY NERVE IN THE BRAIN, THERE'S CROSSTALK BETWEEN THESE TWO CIRCUITS, AND SO YOU HAVE THE SENSATION OF SOUND EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO AUDIBLE SOUND.

NARRATOR: WHETHER THIS THEORY MAKES SENSE TO THE SAMI OR THE INUIT PEOPLE REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

THE INHABITANTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE TO TELL ABOUT THE SOUNDS THEY HEAR WHEN THE AURORA IS DANCING IN THE SKY.

GREENLAND'S INUIT HAVE YET ANOTHER LINK TO THE AURORA.

THE SEA GODDESS SEDNA HOLDS AN IMPORTANT POSITION IN INUIT MYTHOLOGY.

SHE RULED THE DEEP AND THE STORMS.

HUNTERS HAD TO OBEY HER COMMAND.

OTHERWISE THEY WOULD RISK ENDING UP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

TODAY THE GODDESS IS REPRESENTED IN SPACE.

A MOON OF SATURN, THE RINGED PLANET, IS NAMED AFTER HER, AND HERE THE STORY COMES FULL CIRCLE.

SATURN II HAS AN AURORA... AND THAT'S NOT ALL.

EVERY PLANET OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM POSSESSING AN ATMOSPHERE AND MAGNETIC FIELD SHOWS AN AURORA.

BUT NOWHERE CAN WE ADMIRE THIS GRAND SPECTACLE AS DIRECTLY AND IMPRESSIVELY AS IN THE POLAR REGIONS OF OUR HOME PLANET.