Aurora Borealis
The Northern Lights
The Aurora Borealis, more commonly referred to as the Northern Lights, takes its name from the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek word for the north wind, Boreas.
It is a natural phenomenon created when solar wind particles interact with the Earth's magnetic field. This excites the particles that release energy, causing peculiar luminous green and purple streaks across the skies. They are typically visible in the northern latitudes closer to the center of the Artic Circle in countries such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
The best time to view the lights are during the winter months, typically from September to April, when the skies are clear or there are breaks in cloud cover. There are never any guarantees you will see the lights but the chances are greatly improved when you move away from populated areas and have as little light polution as possible. When you venture out to see the lights remember to dress warm, bring your camera, tripod, shutter release cable, and a lot of patience.
Learn and see more:
- Wikipedia to read more about the Borealis and its counterpart to the south, Australis, and auroras on other planets.
- NASA, Aurora: Illuminating the Sun-Earth Connection
- NASA, Aurora Image Gallery
- National Geographic Resource Library: Aurora