CaptionThe Northern Lights - or Aurora Borealis - are produced when solar wind, eruptions of electrified particles from the sun, collide with Earth's magnetic field. These magnetic storms can also damage satellites and other telecommunications installations. In a new scientific field, researchers at the EISCAT base are pioneering space meteorology, to forecast the weather in space. In the period 2000-1, increased solar activity led to particularly intense light displays.
