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(CBC) NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are hoping an international collaboration of scientists will help unravel the mysteries of the aurora borealis, one of nature's greatest light shows.

While the aurora borealis can paint the northern sky with shades of red, green and violet, they can also spell trouble. Auroral storms can cause power outages and interfere with satellites and global positioning systems.

Despite studying the aurora borealis for decades, scientists still don't know what causes the eruption out in space or where and when the lights will appear. They also don't know what causes all the patterns, waves and swirls.

"For hours nothing happens, then all of a sudden it blows up and very interesting, intricate forms develop," Steve Mende, a physicist with the University of California at Berkeley, told a videoconference on Monday.

To get some answers, scientists with the Themis project are installing 20 observatories with automated high-tech cameras – 16 across Canada's North and four in Alaska. They will also look down on the lights from satellites.

"Canada is important in this project by virtue of geography, the fact that we have the land under the aurora," said Eric Donovan, a professor of astronomy at the University of Calgary.

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