Northern Lights

The northern lights are a physical phenomenon that occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun hurtle towards the Earth. The light becomes visible when the particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth’s magnetic field directs the particles towards the openings near the North and South Poles, and thus the phenomenon can only be observed near the magnetic poles. The polar light in the northern hemisphere is called aurora borealis or northern lights - while the polar lights in the southern hemisphere are called aurora australis, the southern lights.