What Causes the ‘Northern Lights’ and Why Are They So Beautiful?

The Northern Lights are like a sky show caused by particles from the Sun and Earth’s magnetic field. Imagine tiny travelers, called charged particles, coming all the way from the Sun. When they hit Earth's atmosphere, they light up the sky in colorful waves and swirls that look like dancing lights.

Take the quiz →

Examples

Imagine a fireworks show happening in the sky every night, but it’s powered by energy from the Sun.
It's like when you rub a balloon on your hair and stick it to the wall, charged particles are doing something similar up high.
The Northern Lights could be the Earth saying, 'Hello, Sun!' with a burst of colorful light.

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Space · aurora,space phenomena,Earth's atmosphere