aurforms

Aurforms is a term used in discussions of auroral phenomena and in data visualization to refer to a family of representational shapes that characterize auroral features. The term is not standardized in formal space physics but appears in educational materials and worldbuilding contexts as a concise label for recurring geometries found in auroral displays, such as arcs, bands, patches, rays, and spirals.

In this framework, aurforms are described by a small set of attributes: morphology (shape), scale (spatial extent), dynamics (temporal evolution), brightness (intensity), and spectral characteristics. Morphologies can be static or dynamic, with common categories including curved arcs aligned with magnetic field lines, straight or curved bands, diffuse patches, radial rays, and complex filamentary structures.

The emergence of aurforms is attributed to interactions between precipitating charged particles, the geomagnetic field, and ionospheric conductance, though specific mechanisms depend on the underlying physical model used. Aurform concepts are therefore often used as a heuristic or visualization aid rather than as a strict physical taxonomy.

Aurform data can be derived from video and image sequences from all-sky cameras, spectrographic instruments, and radar, and are often used in teaching, visualization, and simulation validation. In fiction and game design, aurforms provide a vocabulary for describing vivid auroral scenes or for structuring worldbuilding data.

Limitations include occasional ambiguity in classification due to projection effects and variability across observers. See also aurora, space weather, ionosphere, auroral imaging, and visualization taxonomy.