{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.aurora","code":"thing-aurora","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/aurora/","name":"aurora","alternateNames":["aurora australis","southern lights","aurora borealis","northern lights"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"noun.phenomenon","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.FLW"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{"substance":"energy","origin":"natural","agency":"inert","mobility":"not-applicable","scale":"not-applicable","affordances":["observable"]}},"whatItIs":"A natural light display in the sky, mainly at high latitudes, caused by charged particles from the Sun following the Earth magnetic field and exciting atoms in the upper atmosphere; called aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights).","purpose":"Let an agent handle auroras by physics, forecasts, viewing locations, photography and safety for travellers.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Caused by solar particles","Strongest near auroral ovals","Varies with geomagnetic activity","Visible farther from poles during storms"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"forecast","name":"Forecast","description":"Will it appear.","layers":[{"id":"activity","name":"Activity","description":"Kp and alerts.","findings":[{"id":"activity-finding","name":"Activity","description":"Geomagnetic activity.","questions":[{"text":"What do official space weather forecasts predict for tonight?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What Kp level is needed at this latitude?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"weather","name":"Weather","description":"Clouds.","findings":[{"id":"weather-finding","name":"Weather","description":"Cloud cover.","questions":[{"text":"Will the sky be clear enough?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which weather service forecasts cloud?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"viewing","name":"Viewing","description":"Where and when.","layers":[{"id":"location","name":"Location","description":"Dark sites.","findings":[{"id":"location-finding","name":"Location","description":"Viewing location.","questions":[{"text":"Where are dark, safe places to view nearby?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which direction should viewers face?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"safety","name":"Safety","description":"Cold and roads.","findings":[{"id":"safety-finding","name":"Safety","description":"Viewer safety.","questions":[{"text":"What cold-weather and road safety precautions apply?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is the site on public land?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"photography","name":"Photography","description":"Capturing it.","layers":[{"id":"settings","name":"Settings","description":"Exposure.","findings":[{"id":"settings-finding","name":"Settings","description":"Camera settings.","questions":[{"text":"What exposure settings suit aurora photography?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is a tripod needed?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"colours","name":"Colours","description":"Eye versus camera.","findings":[{"id":"colours-finding","name":"Colours","description":"Colour perception.","questions":[{"text":"Why do cameras show brighter colours than the eye?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the image processed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"science","name":"Science","description":"Physics.","layers":[{"id":"mechanism","name":"Mechanism","description":"Particles and fields.","findings":[{"id":"mechanism-finding","name":"Mechanism","description":"Mechanism.","questions":[{"text":"How do solar particles produce auroral light?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which atoms give which colours?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Traditions.","findings":[{"id":"culture-finding","name":"Culture","description":"Cultural meaning.","questions":[{"text":"What meanings do different cultures attribute to auroras?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Are they attributed to their communities?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Report aurora forecasts and geomagnetic activity from space weather services.","Help observers find dark, safe viewing places."],"mustNot":["Direct people to unsafe roadsides, ice or private land to see an aurora.","Present aurora forecasts as certain.","Misrepresent the cultural meanings that Arctic peoples hold for the aurora."],"requiresHuman":["Guiding groups into remote areas at night in winter."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Aurora tourism can put visitors at risk and burden remote communities.","For some Arctic peoples the aurora carries spiritual meaning that deserves respect."],"affectedParties":["Observers and tourists","Arctic and northern communities"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns it; space weather services forecast it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"oewn-11445694-n","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"atmospheric phenomenon","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"solar wind and geomagnetic storms","type":"related","note":"cause"},{"target":"space weather services","type":"related","note":"forecast"},{"target":"ionosphere","type":"related","note":"layer"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.aurora","Open English WordNet: oewn-11447355-n","Kp index: 0-9 scale geomagnetic activity"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Emission altitude: Approximately 100-400 km - Many visible auroral emissions occur within this altitude band above Earth's surface, although some occur outside it.","Emission wavelength:  nm - A spectrometer measures emission wavelengths associated with excited atmospheric atoms and molecules.","Optical radiance:  W m^-2 sr^-1 - A calibrated optical instrument measures radiance over a stated wavelength band and viewing direction."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Green (oxygen) and red emissions","Arcs, curtains and coronas","Airglow and light pollution are different","Green, red or purple curtains, arcs and rays of light moving across the night sky."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["check official aurora and space weather forecasts","find good viewing places and times","photograph auroras","explain the physics"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Cold exposure and driving risks at night","Overpromising sightings from forecasts","Trespass or unsafe roadside stopping"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Dark sky protection rules in some areas"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["A natural phenomenon for science, tourism and culture.","aurora borealis","aurora australis","STEVE (related phenomenon)","auroras on other planets"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-11447355-n","url":"https://en-word.net/id/oewn-11447355-n","note":"sense and gloss of the concept"},{"title":"Wiktionary: aurora","url":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aurora","note":"word senses and usage"}],"openQuestions":["Should northern and southern auroras be separate entries?","How should space weather feeds be linked?","How should planetary auroras be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-aurora/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-aurora/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T10:36:56Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T12:16:27+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: WordNet gloss; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}