Giant Magnetic Ropes Discovered Connecting Earth to the Sun

This is just like it sounds. In studying substorms that cause varying durations of the aurora borealis (the Northern Lights), a team of scientists discovered evidence of "giant magnetic ropes linking the Earth's atmosphere to the Sun and channeling solar energy to create the spectacular northern and southern lights shows."

Situated approximately 40,000 miles above the earth, these "ropes," which are described to be intertwined much like a hemp rope, comprise a width the size of the earth itself.

I don't pretend to know how to conceptualize this, or what it means as a discovery. My main response to the news was "neato." However, this article does a much better job of explaining the scientific side of this phenomenon. Let us know what you think, or what this might mean. I'm just laying it out there.

To boot, here's some more info on the aurora.