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What Causes Aurora Borealis

This Science Minute was researched and written by Devin V. of Trumansburg, NY.

During fall and spring nights in the northern polar region, you can see lights in the atmosphere. These lights are called Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights.

Where do the lights come from? Well, they begin with the sun. Negatively charged particles known as electrons are thrown from the sun into space during sunspot activity. The electrons meet up with atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere.

When the electrons and the atoms collide, energy is released as photons, or light particles. These photons are the lights that we see moving across the sky. It takes one hundred million photons to create a visible Aurora Borealis!

The most typical Northern Lights colors are blues, created by nitrogen, and greens, created by oxygen.

The Aurora Borealis may be a phenomenon caused by the collision of electrons and atoms, but to many people it is best known for being a beautiful sight.