The Rice Science Café is a meeting in which for the price of a cup of coffee or tea, a glass of wine or beer, anyone can explore and debate the latest ideas in science and technology.

The aurora borealis or northern lights is one of the few plasmas that can be seen and experienced in all its dynamic glory. Along with comet tails and the corona during a total eclipse, its intensity, color and location is controlled by changes on the Sun. Rice researchers are involved in predicting its location and intensity.

This talk by Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy and associate director of outreach programs and the Rice Space Institute, will show how these colors come about and where and when to best see these amazing examples of plasma physics.