Everyone will remember the first time they saw the Northern Lights dance across the night sky. For some it will have been a deeply moving moment, for others, time to capture a photograph. For cultures and communities going back 100's of years the aurora borealis have meant many different things, from the spirits of the dead being whisked away to the omens of the Gods.

Whatever your belief, it is impossible to not look at this mythical dance of colours in the night sky as anything other than beautiful. Plasma scientist, Dr Melanie Windridge has devoted herself to understanding the science of the aurora borealis and recording the human connection with them.

In this episode of Brainwaves, Melanie explains why there are different colours, how the dancing waves of the lights are a kind of earthly Thai Chi and while the aurora might be beautiful it is actually vital to protect us from violent space weather as we become a more and more tech dependant world. Show less