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����Ӱ�� aurora scientist to appear on live Q&A

University of ����Ӱ�� Fairbanks Geophysical Institute scientist Don Hampton will answer questions about the aurora during a live online event with Mike Fitz, a naturalist with the nature cam network .

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ����Ӱ�� time/7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Members of the public can join via the Explore.org platform and Facebook and YouTube pages. The event will also be linked from the University of ����Ӱ�� Fairbanks and ����Ӱ�� Geophysical Institute Facebook pages. Viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions via the chat windows in the platforms.

Interest in the aurora has spiked in recent months due to media coverage of increasing solar activity as the sun heads toward peak activity — known as “solar maximum” — in mid- to late 2024. The aurora’s luminous glow occurs when  charged particles from the sun hit the atmosphere after getting captured by Earth’s magnetic field. When solar activity is high, the aurora can become very bright and visible at lower latitudes.

����Ӱ�� maintains an page and . The aurora can often also be viewed on the ����Ӱ�� Geophysical Institute’s , which captures time-lapse photos of the sky north of Fairbanks at the Poker Flat Research Range.

Find the live event here: