what is northern lights

The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, are a natural phenomenon characterized by shafts or curtains of colored light visible in the night sky. They are caused by charged solar wind particles colliding with the Earth's atmosphere, particularly in the Polar Regions where the Earth's magnetic fields converge. The lights are most commonly visible between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude in the northern hemisphere, covering parts of Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Alaska, and Russia, as well as Iceland. The colors of the northern lights are a result of the type of gas particles that are colliding, with bright green being the most common, and ruby reds appearing at higher altitudes. The phenomenon is a result of solar activity, and its occurrence is tied to the solar cycle, with particularly strong solar storms resulting in the lights being at their brightest and most frequent. The northern lights have captivated people for millennia and are considered one of the most spectacular displays in the night sky