clipped from www.thethinkingblog.com

Aurora happens in both the southern and northern hemispheres, particularly in the polar zone. It is called Aurora Borealis (also known as Northern Lights) in the Artic region and Aurora Australis in the Antartic region. Streaming plasma clouds, composed of fast moving charged particles, form a solar wind.

interaction of the solar wind with the earth’s magnetic field that traps some of these charged particles. These trapped particles then flow along the magnetic field lines of the earth into the upper most regions of our planet’s atmosphere. That’s when the lights become manifest and their dance begins

Aurora australis as seen from a Space Shuttle

Red and green Aurora in Fairbanks, Alaska

Aurora sightings in Oklahoma City

Northern Lights over a house in Iceland

Unknown location

Northern Lights - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan

Aurora over Arena, Wisconsin

Northern Lights shine above

Aurora australis captured