All language subtitles for deepest.secrets.s04e09.720p.hdtv.x264-w4f

♪♪

Narrator: THE AURORA BOREALIS,

BETTER KNOWN
AS THE NORTHERN LIGHTS,

HAVE MYSTIFIED SCIENTISTS
FOR CENTURIES.

Spanswick:
THE AURORA IS JUST MAGICAL.

I CAN'T ACTUALLY EXPLAIN IT,

BUT YOU JUST CAN'T STOP
WATCHING IT.

Cully:
WHAT WE REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND
IS THE REALLY BIG PICTURE.

WE HAVE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT
STILL TO LEARN.

Narrator:
NOW AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM

OF AURORA-HUNTING SCIENTISTS
IS UNDERTAKING

A SERIES OF PIONEERING
EXPERIMENTS TO REVEAL

WHAT REALLY CAUSES
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS'

MYSTERIOUS COLORS,
PATTERNS, AND SHAPES.

I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS
AS A SCIENTIST BEFORE.

IT'S SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY
AND PROFOUNDLY NEW.

THE HUNT FOR AURORA
COULD EVEN ANSWER

ONE OF HUMANITY'S
GREATEST QUESTIONS.

Hallinan:
CAN WE DETECT AURORA ON PLANETS
OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND THAT MIGHT TELL US
THERE'S LIFE ON THOSE PLANETS.

Narrator: UNLOCKING THE SECRETS
OF THE AURORA

IS TRANSFORMING
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PLANET

AND OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

THE AURORA BOREALIS IS A MAGICAL
SPECTACLE OF THE FROZEN NORTH...

♪♪

...BUT DESPITE HUNDREDS
OF YEARS OF INVESTIGATION,

SCIENTISTS ARE STILL TRYING
TO UNLOCK ITS DEEPEST SECRETS.

WHAT CAUSES THESE
CELESTIAL FIREWORKS?

WHAT CAN THEIR COLOR TELL US
ABOUT OUR ATMOSPHERE?

AND WHY CAN THEY SUDDENLY APPEAR

OVER UNEXPECTED PARTS
OF OUR PLANET?

THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
IN CANADA

ARE THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH
TO HUNT DOWN ANSWERS.

♪♪

FOR 240 NIGHTS A YEAR,
WHEN THE SUN SETS,

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS LIGHT UP
THIS FROZEN LANDSCAPE.

♪♪

AURORA HUNTER EMMA SPANSWICK
BRAVES THE ELEMENTS

TO SET UP A PIONEERING PIECE
OF AURORA-WATCHING TECHNOLOGY.

♪♪

YELLOWKNIFE HAS THE BEST CHANCE
OF AURORA --

BASICALLY, IN CANADA RIGHT NOW.

IT'S --
IT'S IN THE PERFECT SPOT,

RIGHT IN THE HEART
OF THE AURORAL ZONE,

AND THAT'S WHY WE CAME.

Narrator:
EMMA HAS DEDICATED HER CAREER

TO REVEALING THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS' DEEPEST SECRETS.

SHE'S INSTALLING A
SUPER-WIDE-ANGLED COLOR-CAMERA.

ITS IMAGES WILL HELP
EMMA UNDERSTAND

WHY THE NORTHERN LIGHTS SUDDENLY
APPEAR IN THE NIGHT SKY.

THIS IS OUR NEW
COLOR AURORA-CAMERA

THAT'S GOING OUT
FOR A TEST TONIGHT.

IT'S GOT A 360-DEGREE LENS
ON IT,

SO WE SHOULD SEE
THE ENTIRE LAKE HERE,

AND, HOPEFULLY,
SOME NICE AURORA.

EMMA'S CAMERA WILL COMPLEMENT
A NETWORK OF CAMERAS

THAT MONITOR THE NIGHT SKY
ACROSS A CONTINENT

OVER 3,500 MILES EAST TO WEST.

♪♪

MINUS-2 IS PRETTY COMFORTABLE,
THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE FOR THIS.

SO, IF YOU GET MULTIPLES
OF THESE CAMERAS

AND YOU SEPARATE THEM
BY THE APPROPRIATE DISTANCE,

YOU CAN STITCH THEM TOGETHER

AND MAKE A GREAT VIEW
OF THE AURORA ACROSS CANADA,

AND THAT'S WHAT
WE'RE GOING TO DO.

Narrator:
THE CAMERA NEEDS BIG HORIZONS

TO CAPTURE AS MUCH
OF THE SKY AS POSSIBLE,

SO EMMA'S
FROSTBITTEN OBSERVATORY

IS IN THE CENTER
OF A FROZEN LAKE

WITH NO MOUNTAINS, NO TREES,

AND NO BUILDINGS
BLOCKING THE VIEW.

ONCE THE CAMERA IS INSTALLED,

ALL EMMA CAN DO IS SIT BACK

AND WAIT FOR THE AURORA
TO APPEAR.

♪♪

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PART OF
THE LIFE OF AN AURORAL CHASER.

YOU NEED A LOT OF PATIENCE
IN THIS LINE OF WORK,

BUT IT WILL COME OUT.

Narrator:
IT'S MINUS-20 DEGREES CELSIUS,

AND IT'S GOING TO BE
A LONG NIGHT.

THAT'S BECAUSE EMMA DOESN'T
KNOW EXACTLY

WHEN THE LIGHTS
ARE GOING TO APPEAR.

♪♪

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
ARE DRIVEN BY OUR SUN.

93-MILLION MILES AWAY,

THE SURFACE OF THE SUN
THROWS OUT A CONSTANT STREAM

OF CHARGED PARTICLES
CALLED THE SOLAR WIND.

LEFT UNCHECKED, THIS WIND COULD
STRIP AWAY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

AND EXTINGUISH ALL LIFE
ON THE PLANET,

BUT LUCKILY, THE EARTH
HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD

THAT COCOONS THE WHOLE GLOBE.

THE MAGNETIC FIELD FUNNELS
THE SOLAR WIND'S ENERGY

TOWARDS THE EARTH'S POLES

WHERE IT EXCITES THE GASES
IN OUR ATMOSPHERE

AND PRODUCES THE SPECTACULAR
LIGHTS WE CALL THE AURORA.

♪♪

FOR FOUR HOURS, WAITING
IN THE COLD, NOTHING HAPPENS.

BUT AT 10:45 P.M.,

EMMA'S CAMERA CAPTURES
THE FIRST GLIMMER

OF WHAT THE LIGHTS
HAVE TO OFFER.

THIS IS EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD NEWS,
VERY EXCITING.

♪♪

THESE TIME-LAPSE IMAGES REVEAL
A SKY ALIVE WITH COLOR,

DANCING TO THE SOLAR
WIND'S BEAT,

AND THIS VIDEO FOOTAGE REVEALS
SWEEPING BANDS OF BRILLIANT,

GREEN LIGHT AS IT UNFURLS
ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO
BRIGHTEN UP,

RUNNING RIGHT ACROSS THE SKY,
ALMOST HORIZON TO HORIZON.

EMMA WILL BE UP ALL NIGHT
TAKING PHOTOS OF THE AURORA,

AS SHE INVESTIGATES
WHAT MAKES THE LIGHTS APPEAR

BECAUSE EVERY FEW HOURS
SOMEWHERE ON EARTH,

FOR REASONS NOT YET
FULLY UNDERSTOOD,

THE AURORAS SUDDENLY
BURST INTO LIFE.

AND ONCE A DECADE, THE LIGHTS
CAN BECOME SUPER-CHARGED

INTO AN EVEN MORE
SPECTACULAR SHOW.

THEY APPEAR SUDDENLY IN PLACES
COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED,

EVEN AS FAR SOUTH AS CUBA.

AURORA HUNTERS ARE TRYING
TO DISCOVER

WHAT FORCES THESE ARCTIC-LIGHT
SHOWS DOWN TO THE TROPICS.

♪♪

Fox: THE FIRST TIME I SAW
THE AURORA WAS REALLY IN ALASKA.

I JUST STOOD OUT FOR WELL
OVER AN HOUR IN THESE FREEZING,

FREEZING CONDITIONS,

AND JUST ENJOYED THIS
TOTALLY SPECTACULAR SIGHT.

Narrator: IN WASHINGTON, D.C.,

AURORA HUNTER NICKY FOX
IS INVESTIGATING

WHY, FOR THEIR MOST
SPECTACULAR DISPLAYS,

THE AURORA APPEAR WHERE
THEY'RE NORMALLY NEVER SEEN.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE AURORA,

YOU WILL DO HAVE TO TRAVEL
NORTH, SOMEWHERE COLD,

BUT THOSE ARE MORE THE EVENTS
THAT HAPPEN ALMOST EVERY DAY,

BUT FROM TIME TO TIME,
WE HAVE THESE HUGE SOLAR EVENTS

THAT CAN DRIVE THE AURORA
DOWN TOWARDS THE SOUTH,

TOWARDS THE EQUATOR.

Narrator: NICKY'S OFFICE
IS NASA'S GODDARD SPACE CENTER

IN MARYLAND.

SHE'S INVESTIGATING ONE OF THE
MOST EXTREME AURORA ON RECORD.

JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN 2003,

A MASSIVE STORM ERUPTS
FROM THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

HUGE AURORA FOLLOW
JUST DAYS LATER.

AND WHAT MADE IT SO SPECTACULAR
WAS IT WAS ONE VERY LARGE EVENT,

AND THEN JUST AFTER IT
CAME A SECOND BIG SOLAR EVENT.

♪♪

Narrator: THESE SOLAR ERUPTIONS
REVEAL BILLIONS OF TONS

OF HIGH-ENERGY PLASMA
HEADING STRAIGHT FOR EARTH.

IT'S SENDING ALL THIS MATERIAL
STREAMING AWAY FROM THE SUN

AT MILLIONS OF MILES AN HOUR,
RIGHT TOWARDS THE EARTH,

AND WE'RE READY
TO TAKE THE IMPACT,

SO WE KNEW TWO TO THREE DAYS
AFTER THESE EVENTS

WERE FIRST SEEN ON THE SUN,

SOMETHING BIG WAS GOING
TO HAPPEN AT THE EARTH.

Narrator:
WHEN THE SOLAR STORM HIT,

AURORA EXPLODED WHERE
THEY'RE NORMALLY NEVER SEEN.

IT WAS, YOU KNOW, AT NIGHT.

IT WAS 11:00 AT NIGHT,
SO IT WAS DARK.

AND I LOOKED UP AND I THOUGHT,
"WHY CAN I SEE A SUNSET?"

AND I REALIZED THAT WHAT
I WAS SEEING

WAS THE RED GLOW IN THE SKY
TO THE NORTH OF ME,

AND THERE IT WAS,
A BEAUTIFUL RED AURORA.

Narrator: NICKY SAW
THE 2000 HALLOWEEN AURORA

IN HER BACKYARD IN BALTIMORE.

IT GAVE A CLUE TO WHY MASSIVE
SOLAR STORMS

PUSHED THE AURORA SO FAR SOUTH.

WHEN IT ACTUALLY COMES
TO THE EARTH,

IT IS CARRYING
A MAGNETIC FIELD IN IT,

AND THE EARTH ALSO HAS
A MAGNETIC FIELD.

WHEN THEY'RE IN OPPOSITE
DIRECTIONS,

THEY ACTUALLY CONNECT.

THIS SUDDEN CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE SOLAR STORM AND EARTH

RELEASES HUGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY
INTO EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE...

♪♪

...UNLEASHING THE AURORA
ACROSS HUGE BANDS

OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE,

LIGHTING UP CONTINENTS
THAT NORMALLY REMAIN SHROUDED

IN DARKNESS.

BUT THESE STORMS CREATE
MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL LIGHT SHOWS.

THEY CAN HAVE
DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES.

BY THE TIME WE SEE AURORA
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT SKY,

IT MAY ALREADY BE TOO LATE.

♪♪

IT MAY ALREADY BE TOO LATE.

♪♪

Narrator: AT HOLLOMAN
AIR FORCE BASE IN NEW MEXICO,

THE SECOND WEATHER SQUADRON
MONITORS THE SUN 24/7

AND ISSUES WARNINGS

WHEN A SOLAR STORM
IS ON COURSE TO HIT EARTH.

HIS JOB IS TO ALERT
THE U.S. AIR FORCE

EACH TIME A SOLAR STORM
THREATENS EARTH,

AND BEFORE THE STORM SETS
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE ALIGHT

WITH DAZZLING DISPLAYS
OF AURORA.

WE HAVE A BODY IN THIS CHAIR
FROM SUNRISE TO SUNSET,

365 DAYS A YEAR,
AND IF A FLARE DID OCCUR,

WE HAVE TWO MINUTES'
RESPONSE TIME

TO GET THAT NOTIFICATION
OUT ACROSS OUR NETWORK.

RIGHT NOW, A SOLAR PROMINENCE --
A HUGE LOOP OF SUPER-HOT PLASMA,

EXTENDING UP AND OUT
OF THE SUN'S SURFACE --

HAS CAUGHT GLOWACKI'S ATTENTION.

I'M MONITORING THIS PROMINENCE

THAT'S ROTATING
ONTO THE SUN'S DISC.

♪♪

YES, SIR.
THIS IS SERGEANT GLOWACKI,

CALLING FROM HOLLOMAN
SOLAR OBSERVATORY.

WE, UH, HAVE A PROMINENCE
AT NORTH 19 ON THE EAST LIMB.

THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, BYE.

♪♪

IF THIS IS PROMINENCE
BREWS ITSELF INTO A STORM,

BUT THEY ACTUALLY COME IN
A HUGE VARIETY OF DISTINCT FORMS

THAT A TRAINED SPOTTER
CAN IDENTIFY,

JUST LIKE A METEOROLOGIST

CAN PICK OUT
THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLOUDS.

THE AURORA HAS A LOT
OF DIFFERENT APPEARANCES

DEPENDING ON WHERE
YOU'RE STANDING IN RELATION

TO THE AURORA.

MOST OF THE TIME,
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN

IS THAT YOU'LL SEE THE DISCREET
AURORA OFF ON THE HORIZON.

WHEN YOU SEE IT LIKE THAT,

IT LOOKS LIKE A BIG,
SHIMMERING RIBBON OF LIGHT.

WE TYPICALLY DESCRIBE
THOSE AS CURTAINS.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THOUGH,

IF YOU'RE STANDING
DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THAT,

THEN YOU GET A VERY
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE OF IT

BECAUSE YOU SEE MAYBE
ONE CURTAIN THAT,

FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE,
GOES OFF THAT WAY,

ANOTHER CURTAIN
THAT GOES OFF THAT WAY,

AND THEY ALL KIND OF CONVERGE
DOWN TOWARDS YOU,

AND THAT'S WHAT WE CALL
THE CORONA,

A CROWN OF LIGHT
THAT'S KIND OF GOING OUT

IN ALL SORTS
OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

THESE FANTASTICAL PATTERNS
ALL ORIGINATE

IN THE SAME PROCESSES,
DRIVEN BY THE SUN'S SOLAR WIND,

BUT SCIENTISTS KNOW
THAT'S ONLY HALF THE STORY.

THE AURORA SHAPES, COLORS,
AND PATTERNS CAN BE VITAL CLUES

TO UNDERSTANDING
THEIR REAL SECRETS.

REALLY A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE
SEEING OVER HERE, IT'S --

IT'S DRIVEN BY PROCESSES
THAT ARE DEEP,

DEEP OUT IN SPACE, THAT ARE --

THAT ARE TENS AND TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS

OUT IN SPACE.

Narrator: NOW CHRIS WANTS
TO DISCOVER THE ROOT CAUSE

OF A VERY SPECIAL TYPE OF AURORA

THAT SEEMS TO DEFY
NORMAL EXPLANATION.

THREE TO FOUR HOURS AFTER EACH
NIGHT'S MAIN DISPLAY HAS ENDED,

THIS DIFFERENT KIND OF AURORA
PULSES ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY,

AND NOBODY'S SURE WHY.

Cully: SO, THERE'S A MYSTERY
AS TO WHAT EXACTLY IS CAUSING

THESE PULSATING AURORA.

THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
THEORIES.

WHAT WE'RE HOPING IS THAT THIS
EXPERIMENT IS GOING TO HELP US

NARROW DOWN
AND FIND WHICH OF THOSE THEORIES

IS THE ONE
THAT REALLY EXPLAINS IT.

CHRIS IS LAUNCHING
A HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON

TO CARRY AN X-RAY DETECTOR
INTO THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

HE BELIEVES
THAT THE STRANGE FORCE

THAT'S DRIVING
THE AURORA'S PULSES

ALSO CREATES X-RAY PULSES
AT THE SAME TIME.

♪♪

THIS PROCESS HAPPENS OVER 16,000
MILES FROM EARTH IN DEEP SPACE.

SCIENTISTS CALL IT "CHORUS".

Cully: THESE ARE RADIO WAVES,

AND IT MIGHT BE
THAT THESE CHORUS WAVES

ARE THE ROOT CAUSE
OF BOTH THE PATCHY,

PULSATING AURORA AND THE X-RAYS.

IF CHRIS'S BALLOON HEARS X-RAY
PULSES AT THE SAME TIME

AS HE SEES THE PULSES OF LIGHT
IN THE SKY,

AND A LOT CAN GO WRONG
ALONG THE WAY.

♪♪

Narrator:
IN YELLOWKNIFE, CANADA,

PHYSICIST CHRIS CULLY
IS GETTING SET TO LAUNCH

A HIGH-ALTITUDE BALLOON
INTO THE NIGHT SKY.

THE BALLOON WILL CARRY
ITS HIGHLY SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS

20 MILES UP ABOVE THE CLOUDS

AND ALMOST ALL OF THE EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE.

♪♪

♪♪

UP HERE, THE ATMOSPHERE IS
TOO THIN TO BLOCK OUT X-RAYS,

SO CHRIS CAN MEASURE
THE X-RAY PULSES IN A WAY

THAT HE NEVER COULD
FROM THE GROUND.

CHRIS'S ONLY PROBLEM?

TO RETRIEVE THE BALLOON,
HE'LL NEED TO TRACK IT ACROSS

MORE THAN 170 MILES
OF CANADA'S FROZEN WILDERNESS.

♪♪

WHICH MEANS THAT OUR MAIN
TRACKING ACTUALLY SWITCHED OFF

Narrator: THE TEAM NEEDS TO RELY
ON THE BACKUP TRACKER,

WHICH REMAINS OPERATIONAL,

BUT IT ONLY PROVIDES
ONE GPS COORDINATE.

THERE IS NO GUARANTEE
THEY WILL FIND THEIR EQUIPMENT.

AFTER A NAIL-BITING SEARCH
BY AIR AND ON FOOT,

THE TEAM FINALLY MAKES CONTACT
WITH THE PAYLOAD.

OVER 80 MILES FROM
THE NEAREST HUMAN HABITATION,

CHRIS HAS COMPLETED
THIS STAGE OF HIS MISSION.

HIS NEXT JOB?

TO FIND OUT IF HE'S GOT THE DATA
TO SOLVE HIS MYSTERY.

♪♪

BACK AT BASE, CHRIS TAKES
A FIRST LOOK AT THE DATA

HIS BALLOONS CAPTURED.

Cully: THIS IS A VIDEO
OF AN ALL-SKY CAMERA

THAT WAS ON DURING LAUNCH NIGHT,

AND RIGHT AROUND 4:30,

YOU SEE IT IN THE IMAGE HERE
AS A FLICKER.

THAT'S WHEN THE REAL, STRONG
PULSATING AURORA SHOWED UP.

NOW IF YOU HAD BEEN WATCHING
THAT IN REAL LIFE,

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
PIECES OF SKY

THAT WERE SORT OF TURNING ON,
AND THEN SLOWLY TURNING OFF,

AND JUST GROWING IN INTENSITY
AND FADING,

AND THEN ANOTHER PATCH
WILL GROW IN INTENSITY

AND FADE IN INTENSITY,
AND THAT'S THE PULSATING AURORA.

SWINGING AROUND THE NIGHTWARD
SIDE OF THE EARTH'S GLOBE.

ONLY A FORCE ON
AN INTERPLANETARY SCALE

CAN CREATE THESE LIGHTS,
A FORCE LIKE THE SOLAR WIND,

BUT WHAT AURORA HUNTERS
DON'T YET FULLY UNDERSTAND

IS HOW THIS SOLAR WIND
IS BORN.

♪♪

IS HOW THIS SOLAR WIND
IS BORN.

♪♪

AT THE GODDARD SPACE CENTER
NEAR WASHINGTON, D.C.,

NASA ENGINEERS ARE PUTTING
A UNIQUE SPACECRAFT

THROUGH FINAL TESTING.

♪♪

Fox: THIS IS NASA'S
PARKER SOLAR PROBE MISSION.

IT'S GOING TO BE
THE FIRST MISSION

TO FLY INTO THE SUN'S CORONA.

AT CLOSEST APPROACH, WE WILL BE
LESS THAN 4-MILLION MILES

FROM THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

Narrator: NICKY FOX HAS SPENT
THE PAST EIGHT YEARS

GETTING THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE
READY TO FLY.

Fox:
WE BASICALLY TAKE HER THROUGH
A SIMULATED SPACE MISSION,

SO WE WILL TAKE THIS SPACECRAFT

TO AS HOT AS IT
WILL GET ON ORBIT

AND ALSO AS COLD
AS IT WILL GET ON ORBIT.

THE PROBE WILL DELIVER AN
UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF THE SUN.

IT WILL SOON HEAD TO
CAPE CANAVERAL FOR ITS LAUNCH.

THIS IS THE FINAL BIG TEST
THAT WE DO

BEFORE WE SHIP DOWN TO THE CAPE
AND GET READY FOR LAUNCH.

Narrator:
THE SPACECRAFT'S DESTINATION?

THE MOST VIOLENT PLACE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM --

THE SUN'S OUTER ATMOSPHERE,

ITS CORONA --
ONE-MILLION DEGREES HOTTER

THAN THE SUN'S SURFACE.

THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF THE SOLAR WIND,

THE FORCE THAT CREATES
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

♪♪

EVERY HOUR, BILLIONS OF TONS
OF MATTER ERUPT FROM THE SUN

INTO THE DEPTHS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS SO-CALLED "SOLAR WIND"
PACKS A POWERFUL PUNCH,

AND HAS SHAPED THE SOLAR SYSTEM
FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.

IT HELPS CREATE THE BEAUTIFUL
TAILS OF COMETS,

AND BECAUSE MARS HAS
NO PROTECTIVE MAGNETIC FIELD,

THE SOLAR WIND STRIPPED BARE
ITS ATMOSPHERE,

MAKING A ONCE WET WORLD
INHOSPITABLE FOR LIFE.

THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE WILL TRY
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY

OF HOW THIS TORRENT OF MATERIAL
STREAMS AWAY FROM THE SUN

AND HOW THAT HELPS SHAPE
THE AURORA.

Fox: WE DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND
HOW THE SOLAR WIND IS BORN.

WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT PHYSICS
ARE TAKING PLACE IN THAT REGION.

USING THE DATA FROM
PARKER SOLAR PROBE,

WE WILL BE ABLE TO FILL
IN THIS MISSING PIECE,

AND THAT WILL DRAMATICALLY
IMPROVE OUR ABILITY

TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS ON THE SUN

AND PREDICT WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN AT THE EARTH.

Narrator:
THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE IS SET

TO MAKE SOME
EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERIES.

AS IT JOURNEYS TO THE SUN,

THE SPACECRAFT WILL JOIN
A FLEET OF NASA SATELLITES

CALLED THEMIS,
ALREADY STUDYING THE SOLAR WIND.

EACH OF THE SPACECRAFT CIRCLE
THE EARTH IN A DIFFERENT ORBIT.

♪♪

AND AURORA HUNTERS ARE USING
THEIR DATA TO DISCOVER

EXACTLY HOW THE SOLAR WIND
DRIVES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

♪♪

BACK IN
THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES,

EMMA SPANSWICK IS RECEIVING
THE FIRST IMAGES

FROM HER LATEST CAMERA.

YEAH, THE CAMERA'S UP.
IT'S -- IT'S RUNNING SO FAR.

ALL SYSTEMS GO.

Narrator: SHE CAN COMBINE THESE
GROUND IMAGES WITH THE DATA

STREAMING BACK
FROM THE THEMIS SPACE PROBES

TO EXPLAIN ONE OF THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS' STRANGEST BEHAVIORS.

♪♪

IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY WEAK
RIGHT NOW,

BUT SHOULD ENHANCE,
I'M HOPING, SHORTLY.

EMMA'S STRUGGLING TO GET DATA

BECAUSE THE AURORA ARE SO HARD
TO PREDICT.

BUT HER NETWORK OF CAMERAS

PRODUCES A CONTINENT-WIDE VIEW

THAT CAPTURES THE AURORA
WHENEVER THEY HAPPEN.

WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE
IS THE FIRST NIGHT

IN THE HISTORY OF THE ARRAY
WHERE WE HAD CLEAR SKIES

ALL THE WAY ACROSS CANADA,

AND IT HAPPENED TO BE
THE GEOMAGNETIC STORM,

AND SO WE HAD PERFECT
CONDITIONS, FANTASTIC DATA.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE EVENT.

SYNCING UP
THESE EXTRAORDINARY IMAGES

WITH THE DATA
FROM THE THEMIS SATELLITES

ALLOWS EMMA TO UNDERSTAND
WHY THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

APPEAR EXACTLY WHEN THEY DO.

THOSE SATELLITES ARE TAKING
DETAILED PLASMA MEASUREMENTS

OF THE ACTUAL SPACE ENVIRONMENT
THAT'S DRIVING THE AURORA,

AND TOGETHER
WITH THE AURORAL IMAGES,

WE CAN CONNECT THEM
AND TALK ABOUT THE PHYSICS

THAT DRIVES THE AURORA.

COMBINING THE VIEWS
FROM THE GROUND AND FROM SPACE,

EMMA NOW HAS A COMPLETE PICTURE

OF WHAT CAUSES THE NORTHERN
LIGHTS TO BURST INTO LIFE.

♪♪

THE CHARGED PARTICLES
OF THE SOLAR WIND

CARRY THEIR OWN MAGNETIC FIELD.

AS THEY PLOW INTO THE EARTH'S
PROTECTIVE FORCE FIELD,

THEY STRETCH IT OUT
LIKE AN ELASTIC BAND.

♪♪

IT STRETCHES AND STRETCHES

UNTIL IT CAN NO LONGER
TAKE THE STRAIN

AND SNAPS BACK,

CREATING HUGE BURSTS OF AURORA
IN EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

THIS CYCLE REPEATS CONTINUOUSLY.

IT DICTATES WHEN THE AURORA'S
FAINT AND WHEN IT'S BRIGHT.

♪♪

Spanswick:
WE HAVE VERY GOOD IDEAS ABOUT
THE LARGE-SCALE AURORA,

THINGS LIKE THAT,
THE STUFF THAT'S REALLY DRIVEN

BY THE SOLAR WINDS,
BUT A LOT OF MYSTERIES REMAIN.

♪♪

Narrator: AURORA HUNTERS
LIKE EMMA AND CHRIS

Narrator: IN 2016,
A TEAM OF AURORA HUNTERS

SPOTTED SOMETHING THEY HAD NEVER
SEEN BEFORE --

A SINGLE BAND OF BRIGHT,
VIOLET LIGHT

STRETCHING ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.

SINCE THE AURORA CHASERS
BAGGED THEMSELVES THE DISCOVERY,

THEY ALSO CLAIMED
THE NAMING RIGHTS,

SO THEY CHOSE TO CALL IT
"STEVE",

JUST BECAUSE THEY COULD.

ERIC DONOVAN IS AN AURORA HUNTER
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY.

HE SPENT 30 YEARS STUDYING
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS,

AND HIS LATEST MISSION IS TO
FIND OUT WHAT'S CAUSING STEVE.

♪♪

HE BELIEVES THE LIGHT'S COLOR

COULD BE THE KEY
TO FINDING THE ANSWER.

I THINK A FIRE IS A GREAT WAY
OF THINKING ABOUT THE COLORS

OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

ERIC'S CAMPFIRE CAN HELP EXPLAIN

WHY THE NORTHERN LIGHTS SHINE
WITH SO MANY BEAUTIFUL COLORS

BECAUSE THE SAME PROCESSES
THAT MAKE THE FLAMES GLOW

MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE
LIGHT UP THE SKY.

Donovan: I'VE GOT THIS PROPANE
TORCH HERE,

AND WHEN I START IT UP,
WHAT YOU SEE IS THIS BLUE FLAME,

AND EVERY TIME YOU BURN PROPANE,
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT COLOR.

Narrator: ONE OF THE KEYS
TO A FLAME'S COLOR

IS THE MATERIAL THAT'S BURNING.

DIFFERENT MATERIALS BURN
WITH DIFFERENT COLORED FLAMES.

I'VE GOT ONE OF THESE CAMPFIRE
COLOR-PACKETS,

AND I'M GOING
TO TOSS IT ON HERE.

THE MIXTURE OF MATERIAL IN HERE

HAS COMPOUNDS THAT MAKE BLUE
AND VIOLET AND GREEN LIGHTING.

YOU START TO SEE THESE
FANTASTIC COLORS THAT COME OUT.

AND THE CAMPFIRE SPARKLER --
COPPER CHLORIDE -- BURNS BLUE.

AND COPPER SULFATE, GREEN.

IN JUST THE SAME WAY, DIFFERENT
GASES HIGH UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE

PRODUCE THE AURORA'S COLORFUL
DISPLAYS.

SO, IF YOU LOOK AT THE AURORA,
WHAT YOU SEE ARE THE COLORS

ARE LAYERED --
THE VIOLET IS AT THE BOTTOM

OF THE AURORAL DISPLAY,

AND THEN IF YOU GO
A LITTLE BIT HIGHER,

YOU START TO SEE THE GREEN,
AND YOU GO HIGHER THAN THAT,

YOU START TO SEE THE RED,
AND THAT LAYERING IS ACTUALLY

TELLING US ABOUT THE COMPOSITION
OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE

AND THE LAYERING,

THE STRUCTURING
OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
SHINE WHEN PARTICLES

DRIVEN BY THE SUN
HIT EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

JUST AS DIFFERENT CHEMICALS
IN A FLAME GLOW BRIGHT,

THE GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE
GLOW WITH DIFFERENT COLORS.

♪♪

NITROGEN GLOWS VIOLET
IN A BAND AT THE BOTTOM.

ABOVE, OXYGEN'S GREENS
AND REDS CREATE A CURTAIN

ALMOST 250 MILES DEEP.

AND SENSITIVE CAMERAS
CAN EVEN REVEAL

STREAKS OF HYDROGEN BLUE,

CREATING A MAGNIFICENT LADDER
OF COLOR HIGH INTO THE SKY.

♪♪

ERIC CAN EXPLAIN WHAT CAUSES
THE AURORA'S BEAUTIFUL COLORS,

SO, THIS IS STEVE. THIS IS ONE
OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS

THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS SEEN.

Donovan: THIS IS, OF COURSE,
WHAT GOT MY ATTENTION,

AND THESE MARVELOUS PHOTOGRAPHS,
THESE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS --

I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS
AS A SCIENTIST BEFORE.

THIS IS NOT TYPICAL AURORA,

THIS IS SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY
AND PROFOUNDLY NEW FOR SCIENCE.

♪♪

DUSK TURNS INTO NIGHT,

AND ERIC SETS OUT
THE EVENING'S PLANS

TO USE A SPECIAL CAMERA

THAT COULD SPLIT THE AURORA'S
LIGHT INTO ITS COMPONENT COLORS.

THIS IS A SPECTRUM
OF THE AURORA,

AND THIS REALLY CLEAR LINE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS

IS THE GREEN LINE
THAT COMES FROM THE OXYGEN.

-HMM.
-THAT'S A FINGERPRINT

FOR THE CHEMISTRY
AND THE PHYSICS THAT'S GOING ON.

IF CHRIS CAN GET THE SAME
KIND OF PICTURE OF STEVE

WITH THIS CAMERA,

ERIC WILL BE ABLE TO SAY
WHAT STEVE IS MADE OF.

BUT THE WEATHER
ISN'T LOOKING GOOD.

THEY DECIDE TO HEAD NORTHEAST,

BUT THE CHANCES OF SEEING
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS TONIGHT --

LET ALONE STEVE --
ARE DROPPING BY THE MINUTE.

♪♪

IT'S REALLY KILLING US.

IT'S -- IT'S LOOKING LIKE
IT'S SOCKED IN RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE
GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND

ANY CLEAR SKY AROUND HERE.

SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET
ANY AURORA.

WE'RE NOT GOING
TO SEE STEVE.

WE'RE DEFINITELY
NOT GOING TO SEE STEVE.

THE NIGHT'S HUNT FOR STEVE
IS A WRITE-OFF,

SO CHRIS AND ERIC
NEED A NEW PLAN

TO FIND OUT
WHAT STEVE REALLY IS.

WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW
IS GET THIS THING

SO, THE BIG THING FOR ME IS
THAT I -- I THINK IT'S GLOW.

LIKE, I DON'T --
I DON'T THINK IT'S --

YOU KNOW, I THINK -- I THINK
IT'S ACTUALLY THE AIR IS BEING

HEATED UP AND GLOWING,

AND THAT'S THE KIND OF THING
WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL

FROM THE SPECTRUM.

ERIC THINKS STEVE IS
A JET OF PARTICLES

ACCELERATED TO SUCH HIGH SPEEDS
AND HIGH TEMPERATURES

THAT THE JET BEGINS TO GLOW.

BUT UNTIL CHRIS AND ERIC CAN
CAPTURE AND DECODE ITS SPECTRUM,

STEVE'S TRUE IDENTITY
WILL REMAIN A MYSTERY.

BUT SCIENTISTS ARE ALSO
HOPING TO ANSWER

AN EVEN BIGGER QUESTION.

IF THEY CAN DETECT AURORA IN
OTHER PARTS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

AND BEYOND,
COULD IT BE A SIGN OF LIFE?

♪♪

Hallinan:
AND WE HAVE A TELESCOPE HERE
THAT IMAGES THE ENTIRE SKY

EVERY TEN SECONDS,

LOOKING FOR THAT SIGNATURE
RADIO EMISSION

THAT THOSE PLANETS
ARE EXPERIENCING AN AURORA.

Narrator:
AURORA HUNTERS ARE DISCOVERING

THAT AURORA
AREN'T CONFINED TO EARTH.

♪♪

PAST THE ORBITS OF MERCURY,
VENUS, EARTH, AND MARS,

THE SOLAR WIND MEETS
JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

THIS IS THE LARGEST STRUCTURE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

JUPITER'S VOLCANIC MOON IO

PUMPS IT FULL
WITH SUPER-CHARGED VOLCANIC GAS.

THE GAS IS FUNNELED DOWN
TO JUPITER'S ATMOSOSPHERE

AND HELPS CREATE AURORA 100
TIMES BRIGHTER THAN EARTH'S.

♪♪

AND JUPITER'S LIGHT SHOWS
DON'T END THERE.

ITS LARGEST MOON, GANYMEDE,
PLOWS THROUGH THIS PARTICLE SOUP

AND BREATHTAKING AURORA
LIGHT UP ITS POLES.

♪♪

THE DISCOVERY OF AURORA ON OTHER
PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

IS STRONG EVIDENCE
FOR AN EVEN MORE RADICAL IDEA.

THE BIG QUESTION IS,
CAN WE DETECT THOSE SAME AURORA

ON PLANETS
OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

ORBITING OTHER STARS?

Narrator:
AT THE LONG-WAVELENGTH ARRAY

IN OWENS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA,

GREGG HALLINAN
AND MARIN ANDERSON

ARE ON THE HUNT
FOR ALIEN AURORA.

THEY BELIEVE THAT FINDING AURORA
ON ALIEN WORLDS MAY HOLD THE KEY

TO SOLVING ONE OF THE GREATEST
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE.

DOES ALIEN LIFE EXIST?

WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER
PLANETS ORBITING OTHER STARS,

WE'RE LOOKING FOR TRACES
OF ATMOSPHERIC GASES

THAT TELLS US
THERE'S LIFE ON THOSE PLANETS.

AURORA OFFER US A SHORTCUT.

Narrator: ON EARTH,
MOST ORGANISMS ON THE PLANET

THEY SHINE BRIGHT
WITH RADIO WAVES, TOO.

SO GREGG USES RADIO TELESCOPES
LIKE THIS

TO LOOK AT DISTANT PLANETS,

AND HE SPOTTED
HIS FIRST ALIEN AURORA.

WE FONDLY REFER TO IT
AS LSR J1835+3259.

Narrator: GREGG'S TEAM HAS
DISCOVERED THE FIRST-EVER AURORA

OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
18 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH.

THIS FAILED STAR GLOWS
WITH AURORA

A MILLION TIMES
MORE POWERFUL THAN JUPITER'S.

FROM ITS SURFACE, ITS POLAR
LIGHTS WOULD SHINE

MUCH BRIGHTER THAN DAYLIGHT
ON EARTH.

UNFORTUNATELY, IT SHOWS
NO SIGN OF HARBORING LIFE.

♪♪

SCIENTISTS ARE ONLY
JUST BEGINNING TO LEARN

HOW TO SPOT ALIEN AURORA.

♪♪

TO CATCH AN AURORA AS IT FLARES
ON ANOTHER WORLD,

GREGG AND MARIN MUCH WATCH
ALL THE NEAREST PLANETS

IN THE SKY ALL THE TIME.

WE WANT TO OBSERVE EVERY PLANET
ORBITING EVERY STAR

OUT TO 100 LIGHT YEARS --

LITERALLY, THOUSANDS OF PLANETS,

LOOKING FOR RADIO EMISSION
PRODUCED BY AURORA

DURING GEOMAGNETIC STORMS.

Narrator: GREGG HOPES TO PRODUCE
A TARGET LIST OF WORLDS

THAT SHINE BRIGHT WITH
THE GREEN GLOW OF OXYGEN,

A LIST OF WORLDS
THAT SHINE BRIGHT

WITH THE GREEN GLOW OF LIFE.

♪♪

FOR CENTURIES,
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

HAVE CAPTURED
HUMANITY'S IMAGINATION

AND MYSTIFIED SCIENTISTS,

BUT NOW WE ARE CLOSER THAN EVER
TO DECODING THEIR SECRETS.

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT
BY EXPLAINING THE AURORA,

THEN THEY -- THEY SOMEHOW
LOSE THEIR MAGIC, BUT I --

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT
FOR A SECOND.

TO ME, THE BEAUTY IN
THE EXPLANATION JUST ADDS TO IT.

Narrator: THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
ARE AMONG THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING

NATURAL WONDERS
ON PLANET EARTH...

♪♪

...AND ALSO A REMINDER
OF THE VIOLENCE

THAT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM HARBORS.

WHEN YOU SEE THE AURORA, IT'S
LIKE THE FINGERS OF THE SUN

REACHING OUT AND TOUCHING
OUR OWN PLANET,

SO YOU REALLY ARE CONNECTING
IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY

WITH THE SUN
WHEN YOU SEE THE AURORA.

Cully: IT MAKES YOU FEEL SMALL.

IT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE
A SMALL PART OF A --

OF A BIG, BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

I LOVE THAT FEELING.

THAT'S THE FEELING
THAT I STILL GET

FROM WATCHING
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

Narrator: AND NOW, AS WE LOOK
FOR AURORA ON OTHER WORLDS,

IT'S A REMINDER THAT THE MORE WE
LEARN ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS,

THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND OUR PLACE

IN A MAGICAL,
WONDERFUL UNIVERSE.

♪♪