Today’s Solutions: January 22, 2025

The dark winter months means the arrival of beautiful northern lights in the more extreme areas of our world. This year, amateur astronomers helped discover a new type of northern light scientists are calling “dunes” due to their rolling, wave-like appearance.

Northern lights are kind of like clouds. There are many different varieties caused by different celestial circumstances. When a group of enthusiastic amateur astrologists collected thousands of images of the northern lights, they discovered an auroral form that was not part of the existing classification.

University of Helsinki’s Minna Palmroth worked with these groups to research and classify the new type of light. 

These “dunes” are created when particles released by the sun cause oxygen atoms in our atmosphere to light up and glow. A team of citizen scientists teamed up with space researchers to find the source of the unique type of light which is thought to be in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

This is a beautiful example of what can happen when passionate citizens and scientists team-up. Now, the group is searching across Finland to document more occurrences of the “dunes” and learn more about their formation.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Oslo’s quiet revolution: how electric construction sites are changing the game

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Imagine walking past a bustling construction site and hearing… almost nothing. In Oslo, that’s becoming the new normal. ...

Read More

DIY toothpaste: a simple, eco-friendly guide to sparkling teeth

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Are you tired of reaching for the same old toothpaste tube every morning? Making your own toothpaste not ...

Read More

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree gets a charitable new life after the holidays

We once shared how a tiny owl was rescued from the branches of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Now we have more good news as ...

Read More

Robot fish repairs itself with microplastics it collects

Microplastics are one of the most pervasive environmental and health issues of our time. And environmental engineers and researchers are working nonstop to address ...

Read More