What are substorms?

Substorms are like big, exciting energy bursts in space that light up the night sky.

Imagine you're playing with a slinky. You stretch it out, let go, whoosh! It zooms down to your feet. Now picture this happening not just on Earth, but way up above us, in space.

In space, there's a special kind of energy called the magnetosphere, which is like a big bubble that protects Earth from space winds. Sometimes, this bubble gets wiggled by solar wind, fast-moving particles from the Sun. When it gets wiggled enough, it lets out a big burst of light and energy called a substorm.

When substorms happen, they send bright lights dancing across the sky, these are called the auroras, or Northern Lights. It’s like when you flick on a bunch of colorful lamps in the dark, suddenly everything becomes more exciting and full of life!

So next time you see a glowing light show above your head, it might be a substorm having fun up there!