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Presentation: Aurora on Mars

Tuesday, 11/14/2023
5:00 - 6:00

Learn about the causes of auroras and why they appear and act so differently on Mars. The aurora, or the "northern lights" as it is also commonly known, is light emitted by gases in the atmosphere caused by particles from space. Aurora on Earth has been studied for centuries. Aurora has even been discovered on other planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. Aurora has also been discovered on Mars, but recent missions have shown that auroras on Mars look and behave much differently than on other planets.

Dr. Matthew Fillingim is a research physicist at the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley. He also teaches physics and astronomy at Berkeley City College. Matt earned his PhD in Geophysics from the University of Washington, and his MS and BS in Space Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology. His primary research interests lie in all the interesting phenomena that can occur in the uppermost atmospheres of planets.


Gain a new perspective on and understanding of the world through programs on the sciences.


This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.


Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.


Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.