Ther Auroras appear as colored lights in the night sky and are usually visible only in the far north or south of Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere the aurora is knowns as the northern lights.

Auroras are caused by the sun when it sends out a stream of charged particles called the solar wind. The solar wind travels from the Sun toward the Earth very quickly.

The Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field which forces the charged particles in the solar wind toward the planet’s north and south poles. The particles move down through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. As they do, they crash into molecules of gasses, causing the atoms to give off light. This light is an aurora. An aurora’s colors are determined by the different gases that give off the light.

Sometimes the solar winds become a solar storm! These storms send out huge bursts of energy. Because these bursts are so much larger than usual, they can be seen further away from the poles!

Did you see the northern lights in October? Send a photo, a drawing, or a journal entry to natureswap@rwpzoo.org about your experience to earn 1000 bonus points!