Aurora Borealis
The Northern Lights
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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