What are northern lights?

The northern lights are streaks and sheets of pale, flickering, colored lights that are sometimes seen in the night sky in far northern regions. Their proper name is the Aurora Borealis. The same effect also occurs in the far south, where it is known as the aurora australis.

Aurora take place between 97 and 1,000 km above the Earth's surface. They are caused by electrically charged particles from the Sun. These particles strike the Earth's atmosphere and release energy in the form of light. Auroras are most common when there are many sunspots, which increase the amount of energy released by the Sun.