Shedding light on the science of auroral breakups

Auroras, also known as Northern or Southern lights depending on where they occur, are natural displays of light in the Earth’s sky. Typically, these lights are dimly present at night. However, sometimes, these otherwise faint features explode in brightness and can even break up into separate glowing hallmarks, appearing as spectacular bursts of luminous manifestations. This striking and picturesque phenomenon is known as an auroral breakup.