Science
What is The northern lights?
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are glowing curtains of color in the night sky near the Arctic. They appear when charged particles from the Sun crash into gases high in Earth's atmosphere, making them glow green, pink, and purple.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains the northern lights.
Key things to understand
- 1They're caused by solar particles striking Earth's upper atmosphere.
- 2Earth's magnetic field funnels those particles toward the poles.
- 3Different gases glow different colors — oxygen green, nitrogen purple.
- 4The southern version is called the aurora australis.
Frequently asked questions
- What causes the northern lights?
- Charged particles from the Sun collide with gases high in Earth's atmosphere, making them glow.
- Why do the northern lights appear near the poles?
- Earth's magnetic field steers the solar particles toward the north and south magnetic poles.
- What makes the different aurora colors?
- The gas being struck — oxygen tends to glow green or red, while nitrogen glows blue or purple.