A series of short, accessible books examining amazing aspects of space, brought to you by Royal Observatory Greenwich. The beautiful and elusive sights of the aurorae are considered some of Earth’s most mesmerising phenomena, but have you ever wondered about the science behind them? The aurorae have been the source of myths and legends since the beginning of humankind and continue to enchant and inspire today. In this book, astronomer Bryony Lanigan brings together many strands of science, exploring aspects of solar physics, atomic theory, atmospheric physics, and more to reveal at least some of the hows and whys of these magical shifting lights that we see not just on Earth, but on other planets too.