Auroral Currents Graphic (IMAGE) NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Caption The auroral currents are one kind of field-aligned current – wherein an electric current flows along Earth’s magnetic field lines. The auroral current carried charged particles (electrons and ions) from space into our atmosphere and back out to space. Credit NASA Usage Restrictions No restrictions. License Public Domain Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.