Photo: Aurora-Investigating Probes Set to Launch

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The five probes of NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission are seen in position to map North America's magnetic fields in this artist's conception.

The THEMIS probes, to be launched on February 15, are meant to solve the mystery of what triggers strong magnetic pulses that make auroras periodically ripple and brighten.

Image courtesy NASA

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