Solar-Terrestrial Physics

Although unrecognized as such, appearances of light emissions high in the Earth's atmosphere during nighttime, the "aurora, have announced to human observers the solor-terrestial connection for hundreds and thousands of years. Descriptions of the aurora are common in the oral histories and legends of northern peoples. Although large auroral displays are infrequently seen at very low latitudes, descriptions of phenomena in the nighttime sky that can be interpreted as the aurora are found in ancient writings by such authors as Aristotle and Seneca, as well as perhaps in the first chapter of Ezekial. Old Chinese texts describe auroral observations in the Orient. Natural science volumes from the middle ages often contain fanciful illustrations of auroral displays over villages and towns. The reality of the solar terrestrial connection, however, was first identified only in the late 19th century. The extent and full implications of this connection are unknown even to this date.