The document summarizes the aurora borealis or northern lights phenomenon. It describes the aurora as a natural light display caused by collisions between charged particles from the magnetosphere and solar wind with atoms in the high atmosphere. These collisions excite nitrogen and oxygen atoms, causing them to emit light. The document also discusses where and when auroras are most commonly seen, noting they are visible in northern latitudes like Norway in late autumn and winter.

1. By Ricky Sims & Tonisha Muhammad

2.  Aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the
high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the
collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high
altitude atmosphere. The charged particles originate in the
magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth. They are directed
by the Earth’s magnetic field into the atmosphere. Aurorae
occur in a band known as the auroral zone.
Aurora is classified as diffuse or discrete aurora.
 Diffuse aurora is a featureless glow in the sky which may not
be visible to the naked eye even on a dark night and defines the
extent of the auroral zone.
 Discrete aurora are sharply defined features within the diffuse
aurora which vary in brightness form just barely visible to the
naked eye to bright enough to read a newspaper at night.

3. Changes simultaneously in the northern auroral zone and is visible
from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, and
Australia.

4. There are two vertical composition patterns but the one
we look at is the Ionosphere which is a deep layer of
electrical charged molecules and atoms. The ionosphere
is significant because it aids long-distance
communication by reflecting radio waves back to Earth.
It is also know for its auroral displays such as the
“northern lights” which develop when charged atomic
particles form the Sun are trapped by the magnetic field
of Earth near the poles. The ionosphere particles excite
the nitrogen molecules and oxygen atoms, causing them
to emit light, not unlike a neon light bulb.

5. In the northern latitudes, the effects is known as the aurora
borealis (or the Northern lights), named after the Roman
goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north
wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621.

6.  Perhaps not so surprisingly, the
northern lights' spectacle has given
rise to as many legends as there
have been people watching.
Symbols linked to the northern
lights are found on the Sami
shamanistic drum. The
phenomenon has several different
names in Sami. It is, for instance,
known as Guovssahas, which
means "the light which can be
heard". The northern lights were
traditionally associated with sound
by the Sami, the indigenous
people of Norway. And during the
Viking Age, the northern lights
were said to be the armour of the
Valkyrie warrior virgins,
shedding a strange flickering light.

7. Time when seen
Frequent in late autumn and winter/early
spring. Between the autumn equinox and spring
equinox (21 September - 21 March), it is dark
between 6 pm and 1 am, and you have maximum
chances of spotting the lights. However, the weather
is also of importance, and September, October and
November tend to be wet and snowless in the north.

8. Where to see the northern lights
Theoretically, you can see the northern lights all over
Norway. However, the best places are above the Arctic
Circle in Northern Norway.
The northern lights belt hits Northern Norway in the Lofoten
Islands, and follows the coast all the way up to the North
Cape. This means that no other place on earth offers
better chances of spotting the lights, and one location in
this area might be as good as another. In fact, one often
observes the same northern lights in the Lofoten as in
Tromsø, just from a different angle. The driest weather,
giving clear skies, is found inland, statistically providing the
best chances, but with strong eastern winds, the coast can
be clearer than inland areas.

10. Northern Lights Over Tysfjord, Norway

12. AURORA BOREALIS THUMBNAIL