Very low frequency (VLF) waves, which have a frequency of 3-30 kHz, are emitted by lightning and by any man-made VLF transmitters. Once the VLF waves are sent out, they travel up through the ionosphere to the Earth's magnetosphere. Because of this disturbance, they cause whistlers, waves in the audio range (low enough frequency that we can hear them, hence called whistlers because we would hear a whistling sound). The electrons caught in the whistlers spiral along the lines of force in the Earth's magnetosphere until they reach the opposite hemisphere. If they started in the northern hemisphere, there is a VLF receiver at Palmer, Antartica, that detects them. When they reach the magnetic pole and hit the Earth's atmosphere, they precipate into the atmosphere. This phenonemon of electron precipitation causes the aurora borealis (the Northern Lights).

There is more information about this topic at Stanford's Very Low Frequency Group Home Page, including an animation of transmitting and receiving a VLF wave. Material on related radio atmospheric phenonema such as sprites and jets is also available.