This volume surveys our current scientific understanding of the terrestrial aurora. It is organized into eleven reviews detailing theoretical and observational aspects of characteristic auroral morphologies, and how these in turn are organized according to local time, latitude, and activity level. Popular descriptions often attribute the aurora to the interaction of charged particles from the solar wind with atoms in the upper atmosphere. In fact, most auroras are not the result of direct entry of solar wind particles. Rather, as detailed in this volume, auroral particle acceleration and generation of auroral forms occur primarily within the magnetosphere. Importantly, many key aspects of the aurora - most notably, the physical mechanisms responsible for the generation of discrete arcs - are still unexplained, and auroral physics continues to be an active area of scientific research. Each review chapter therefore includes a summary of open questions for further investigation. Providing the first comprehensive review of the terrestrial aurora in two decades, this book will aid both active researchers and newcomers interested in understanding the current state of the field. Previously published Space Science Reviews in the Topical Collection "Auroral Physics"

Extreme Space Weather not only allows readers to learn the basics of complex space weather phenomena and future directions for research in space physics and extreme space events. The book begins with a brief overview of space weather, including sunspot cycles, solar winds and geomagnetic fields. From there, the book moves on to extreme space weather phenomena, including mass coronal ejections, solar flares and magnetic storms. The book also includes a discussion of both observed and theoretical extreme events. This book is ideal for students and researchers in geophysics and space physics departments, as well as those in hazard and disaster preparedness.