Aurora Borealis

The Borealis Aurora or the northern lights as they are best known are glorious displays of natural light seen in the polar regions of our planet. This phenomenon is seen at night and has provided observers over the centuries with feelings of awe and wonder.

The name Aurora Borealis was given by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. Translated from the Roman and Greek the name means, Aurora the goddess of dawn and Boreas the name for the Greek north wind. The North American Indians also had a name for them, Dance of the Spirits.

These northern lights or northern polar lights as they are alternatively called are seen in the sky in the northern Hemisphere. The nearer the North Pole you travel the more likely is the chance of seeing them. This is because of the periods of darkness being longer there and the influence of the magnetic field being greater.

The beauty of the northern light has been written about in poetic terms over time inspired by the colours seen ranging from red green and blue. Green being the most common of the colours seen but there can also be seen shades of pink and yellow in the spectacle.

The lights appear in the sky as an ever-changing display. The parallel rays of light match to the magnetic field of the earth. For the observer looking directly overhead these parallel rays can seem to meet at one specific point. 

 The explanation for this extraordinary occurrence can be quite complicated to those of an unscientific bent. The reference to the Greek name for north wind describes the source of energy for the aurora. It is the solar wind, which moves past our planet and which provide the energy for these lights.

From the sun there is a constant flow of ions these are caught by the magnetic field on earth particularly at the poles where they are moving faster.

 It is the reaction of these ions with the nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the atmosphere 50miles above earth. Which ultimately cause energy releases which in turn form the aurora.

Today people are able to capture this rare and beautiful sight with digital photography enabling there to be images of the northern lights accessible to more of us.