This week, NASA is planning to launch rockets into the night sky over Alaska to learn more about the Northern Lights, also called polar auroras. Each aurora is different, just like a snowflake or a fingerprint. They appear as colourful ribbons of light in the sky, and each one is a unique display.

Scientists know that auroras are caused when charged particles from the Sun, called solar flares, interact with Earth’s magnetic field. However, they are still unsure why some auroras flicker, pulse, or have holes in them. NASA researchers are working to understand these strange movements.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is sending two exciting missions from the Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The first mission is called “GIRAFF,” which stands for “Ground Imaging to Rocket Investigation of Auroral Fast Features.” This mission’s goal is to shoot rockets into the sky to study two types of auroras. One type is known as “fast-pulsating auroras,” which flicker on and off a few times each second. The other type is “flickering auroras,” which blink much faster, up to 15 times a second.

By studying these auroras closely, NASA hopes to understand more about how they work and why they behave the way they do. Each rocket is packed with special instruments that will measure the interactions between electrons from solar flares and the electrons in Earth's magnetic field, known as the magnetosphere.

The second mission will focus on studying the dark spots or "holes" in auroras. Scientists want to figure out what causes these mysterious gaps in the light displays.This mission is called the Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor. NASA has jokingly said that the mission's acronym will be left for the readers to figure out.

According to NASA's release, both teams will monitor the auroras using cameras located at the launch site and a down-range observatory in Venetie, Alaska. This observatory is about 130 miles northeast along the path of the rockets.

NASA also mentions that Aristotle made one of the first scientific observations of auroras in the 4th century. Some scientists and historians credit the famous astronomer Galileo with giving the auroras their name, Aurora Borealis.