Aurora Borealis

The Northern Lights

Aurora Aurora2

The Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis,also commonly known as the Polar Lights,is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. The word "aurora" is derived from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, who travelled from east to west announcing the coming of the sun. Ancient Greek poets used the corresponding name Eos metaphorically to refer to dawn, often mentioning its play of colors across the otherwise dark sky (e.g., "rosy-fingered dawn"). The words "borealis" and "australis" are derived from the names of the ancient gods of the north wind (Boreas) and the south wind (Auster). The aurora australis is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia and also close to the center of the Arctic Circle such as Alaska, the Canadian Territories, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
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