The Northern Lights The Northern Lights, or ‘Aurora Borealis’, are a natural light show that can be seen at the North Pole. They also occurs at the South Pole, where they are called the ‘Southern Lights’ or ‘Aurora Australis’. They are a spectacular display of different shades and colours of light rapidly moving in the night sky.

The lights occur when particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere. These particles are what’s know as ‘solar wind’, and are quickly moving charged particles that are emitted from the Sun. The solar wind is very closely linked to the 11 year solar sunspot cycle and to solar flares. Most of the world is protected from these particles by the magnetic field of the earth, except the Poles. Here the solar wind can interact with the Earth’s atmosphere.

BBC – Northern Lights