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Aurora

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Stunning green lights dancing in the night sky – the beautiful aurora borealis over Iceland.

What is an Aurora?

An aurora is a beautiful light show that happens high up in the sky. It makes lovely colors like green, red, and purple dance across the night sky. These lights are called the northern lights or aurora borealis when they appear in the north, and the southern lights or aurora australis when they appear in the south.

Why Do We See Auroras?

Auroras happen because of the Sun. The Sun sends out tiny particles that travel to Earth. When these particles hit the air in Earth's upper atmosphere, they make the air glow. This is why we see such pretty colors in the sky.

Where Can You See Auroras?

You can see auroras mostly near the north and south poles. Places like Alaska, Norway, and New Zealand are great spots to watch these lights. Sometimes, during big solar storms, auroras can be seen much farther away from the poles!

Fun Facts About Auroras

  • Auroras can look like moving curtains, thin lines, or spinning shapes.
  • Other planets in our Solar System, like Jupiter and Saturn, also have auroras!
  • The word aurora comes from the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, who would travel to announce the rising of the Sun.

Images

The beautiful Northern Lights glowing above Bear Lake in Alaska.
The Northern Lights dancing like flames over the snowy landscape of Iceland.
A stunning display of the Aurora Borealis glowing in the night sky over Tuntorp, Sweden.
A stunning view of the Aurora Australis (southern lights) taken from the International Space Station, showing the beautiful green and purple lights dancing in Earth's atmosphere.
A beautiful view of the Antarctic aurora taken from the International Space Station by astronaut Alexander Gerst.
A map showing where the northern lights (auroras) can be seen over North America during different levels of solar activity.
A map showing where auroras can be seen in Eurasia depending on space weather activity levels.
A stunning magenta aurora lighting up the night sky over Tuntorp, Sweden during a strong geomagnetic storm.
The beautiful Aurora Borealis lighting up the night sky above Okeford Hill in England.
The beautiful northern lights glowing in the night sky with the moon shining brightly over Iceland.
A colorful view of the Aurora Australis (southern lights) as seen from space by a NASA satellite.
The beautiful Aurora Australis lighting up the night sky over Swifts Creek, Victoria, Australia.
A beautiful painting of the Aurora Borealis by artist Frederic Edwin Church.
An animated diagram showing how a keogram is created from sky images, used to study the aurora.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Aurora, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.