Aurora Borealis

Definition

The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a natural light display that occurs in the polar regions. It is caused by the interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in Earth's atmosphere.

Related terms

Solar Wind: A stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun that interacts with Earth's magnetic field to create auroras.

Magnetosphere: The region around Earth where its magnetic field interacts with charged particles from space.

Ionosphere:

The upper part of Earth's atmosphere where ions and electrons are present due to solar radiation.