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© Getty Images
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Phenomenon - The aurora borealis is a visual phenomenon that happens above the magnetic poles of the northern hemisphere. The same experience happens on other planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars.
© Shutterstock
1 / 28 Fotos
Naked eye - The human eye can see the northern lights during the evening or at night.
© Shutterstock
2 / 28 Fotos
Lights - The phenomenon consists of colorful bright lights, usually green or reddish.
© Shutterstock
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How it happens - The aurora borealis happens when particles brought by the solar winds enter Earth’s atmosphere and collide violently with the planet's magnetic field.
© Shutterstock
4 / 28 Fotos
Shapes - The hypnotizing light display tends to move irregularly in the sky.
© Shutterstock
5 / 28 Fotos
Rays and lights - They are formed in the magnetic zenith and tend to display a semi-circular shape.
© Shutterstock
6 / 28 Fotos
Irregular - The luminous intensity of the aurora borealis is very irregular and pulsating.
© Shutterstock
7 / 28 Fotos
Tones - The color is a shade of green because this is the range produced when particles collide with oxygen.
© Shutterstock
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Where - The lights of the aurora borealis usually extend roughly 60 to 75 miles above the Earth's surface.
© Shutterstock
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Best time of the year - The lights are usually more intense from September or October until March or April.
© Shutterstock
10 / 28 Fotos
Artificial northern lights - The phenomenon can be artificially reproduced, inside a lab or through a nuclear explosion.
© Shutterstock
11 / 28 Fotos
Origin - Scientist Galileu Galilei named the natural event Aurora Borealis in 1619.
© Shutterstock
12 / 28 Fotos
Aurora borealis
- The name was given as a reference to Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn.
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
Name - Boreas was a Greek god who controlled the north winds.
© Shutterstock
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Destinations - These are the best places to spot the northern lights:
© Shutterstock
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Fairbanks, USA - The city of Fairbanks, Alaska sits at a latitude of 65 degrees, which is below the Aurora Oval (the huge ring above the Earth's geomagnetic north pole where the northern lights manifest). This is where you can watch the northern lights at their highest intensity.
© Shutterstock
16 / 28 Fotos
Tromsø, Norway - The aurora borealis has been celebrated for over 25 years at the Northern Lights Festival in the Norwegian city of Tromsø.
© Shutterstock
17 / 28 Fotos
Isle of Skye, Scotland - This is the ideal place to watch what the Scottish call the "mirrie dancers."
© Shutterstock
18 / 28 Fotos
Nellim, Finland - Nellim is in Lapland, around 5 miles from the Russian border. This is one of the best spots to watch the northern lights in Finland.
© Shutterstock
19 / 28 Fotos
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, USA - At the northern tip of the Idaho Panhandle, this national park is the perfect place to take a walk and spot the aurora borealis.
© Shutterstock
20 / 28 Fotos
Akureyri, Iceland - In Iceland, people believe that the northern lights are actually angels dancing in the sky.
© Shutterstock
21 / 28 Fotos
Yellowknife, Canada - In this wild region, there's a 90% chance you'll see the northern lights.
© Shutterstock
22 / 28 Fotos
Abisko, Sweden - This village in Sweden has a micro-climate that is mainly cloudless. This improves the chances of seeing the northern lights.
© Shutterstock
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Murmansk, Russia - Every winter in Russia, the northern lights are visible roughly 15 to 20 times.
© Shutterstock
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Inishowen, Ireland - The low luminous pollution levels make this Irish peninsula a great spot to watch the lights.
© Shutterstock
25 / 28 Fotos
Longyearbyen, Norway - This city is located around 560 miles north of continental Norway, which means it is a perfect place to catch the natural phenomenon.
© Shutterstock
26 / 28 Fotos
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
- This place has 300 days a year of clear skies and it is perfectly located in the middle of the northern lights belt. See also: The Celtic tradition: Europe before the Roman Empire
© Shutterstock
27 / 28 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
Phenomenon - The aurora borealis is a visual phenomenon that happens above the magnetic poles of the northern hemisphere. The same experience happens on other planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mars.
© Shutterstock
1 / 28 Fotos
Naked eye - The human eye can see the northern lights during the evening or at night.
© Shutterstock
2 / 28 Fotos
Lights - The phenomenon consists of colorful bright lights, usually green or reddish.
© Shutterstock
3 / 28 Fotos
How it happens - The aurora borealis happens when particles brought by the solar winds enter Earth’s atmosphere and collide violently with the planet's magnetic field.
© Shutterstock
4 / 28 Fotos
Shapes - The hypnotizing light display tends to move irregularly in the sky.
© Shutterstock
5 / 28 Fotos
Rays and lights - They are formed in the magnetic zenith and tend to display a semi-circular shape.
© Shutterstock
6 / 28 Fotos
Irregular - The luminous intensity of the aurora borealis is very irregular and pulsating.
© Shutterstock
7 / 28 Fotos
Tones - The color is a shade of green because this is the range produced when particles collide with oxygen.
© Shutterstock
8 / 28 Fotos
Where - The lights of the aurora borealis usually extend roughly 60 to 75 miles above the Earth's surface.
© Shutterstock
9 / 28 Fotos
Best time of the year - The lights are usually more intense from September or October until March or April.
© Shutterstock
10 / 28 Fotos
Artificial northern lights - The phenomenon can be artificially reproduced, inside a lab or through a nuclear explosion.
© Shutterstock
11 / 28 Fotos
Origin - Scientist Galileu Galilei named the natural event Aurora Borealis in 1619.
© Shutterstock
12 / 28 Fotos
Aurora borealis
- The name was given as a reference to Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn.
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
Name - Boreas was a Greek god who controlled the north winds.
© Shutterstock
14 / 28 Fotos
Destinations - These are the best places to spot the northern lights:
© Shutterstock
15 / 28 Fotos
Fairbanks, USA - The city of Fairbanks, Alaska sits at a latitude of 65 degrees, which is below the Aurora Oval (the huge ring above the Earth's geomagnetic north pole where the northern lights manifest). This is where you can watch the northern lights at their highest intensity.
© Shutterstock
16 / 28 Fotos
Tromsø, Norway - The aurora borealis has been celebrated for over 25 years at the Northern Lights Festival in the Norwegian city of Tromsø.
© Shutterstock
17 / 28 Fotos
Isle of Skye, Scotland - This is the ideal place to watch what the Scottish call the "mirrie dancers."
© Shutterstock
18 / 28 Fotos
Nellim, Finland - Nellim is in Lapland, around 5 miles from the Russian border. This is one of the best spots to watch the northern lights in Finland.
© Shutterstock
19 / 28 Fotos
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, USA - At the northern tip of the Idaho Panhandle, this national park is the perfect place to take a walk and spot the aurora borealis.
© Shutterstock
20 / 28 Fotos
Akureyri, Iceland - In Iceland, people believe that the northern lights are actually angels dancing in the sky.
© Shutterstock
21 / 28 Fotos
Yellowknife, Canada - In this wild region, there's a 90% chance you'll see the northern lights.
© Shutterstock
22 / 28 Fotos
Abisko, Sweden - This village in Sweden has a micro-climate that is mainly cloudless. This improves the chances of seeing the northern lights.
© Shutterstock
23 / 28 Fotos
Murmansk, Russia - Every winter in Russia, the northern lights are visible roughly 15 to 20 times.
© Shutterstock
24 / 28 Fotos
Inishowen, Ireland - The low luminous pollution levels make this Irish peninsula a great spot to watch the lights.
© Shutterstock
25 / 28 Fotos
Longyearbyen, Norway - This city is located around 560 miles north of continental Norway, which means it is a perfect place to catch the natural phenomenon.
© Shutterstock
26 / 28 Fotos
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
- This place has 300 days a year of clear skies and it is perfectly located in the middle of the northern lights belt. See also: The Celtic tradition: Europe before the Roman Empire
© Shutterstock
27 / 28 Fotos
The northern lights: nature's most beautiful phenomenon
It's aurora season and the lights are making a rare appearance across the US and Europe
© Getty Images
The aurora borealis is a stunning natural phenomenon that blows away anyone lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it. Science says it is the result of sun particles colliding with the Earth's atmosphere, but Icelandic legends say the magical lights are angels dancing in the sky! This spectacular natural light show is usually associated with Europe's most northern countries like Iceland, Sweden, and Denmark, where it's most visible.
However, this aurora season, which kicks off in March close to the spring equinox, the world is getting an extra-special visit. The northern lights have been visible in locations across northern US states and Europe with spectacular clarity. A geomagnetic storm was forecast to begin on March 23 which strengthens the appearance of the aurora borealis. Photos taken by skywatchers in the early morning on Friday, March 24, showed incredible pink and green light waves adorning the skies in France, England, and US states like Minnesota and Montana. Residents of these areas rarely see the northern lights, and certainly not with this level of visibility. Some lucky travelers whose planes passed through these northern regions on Friday morning felt as if they were flying through some exotic, far-flung galaxy. If the storm continues, the Space Weather Prediction Center says that the lights might dip as far south as London or Washington D.C.
If you missed the live show, don't worry. Click on for dazzling photos of the phenomena and learn all about the aurora borealis.
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