Aurora Borealis

The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is the rippling night-sky light display found at the northernmost reaches of the Earth. The south has a corresponding aurora australis, also known as the southern lights. The northern and southern auroras occur when charged particles released by the sun, called the solar wind, are guided along the Earth's magnetic field to its poles and interact with particles in the upper atmosphere there. How to see the Northern Lights.

Related Topics: Earth, Solar Flares and Space Weather 

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green and yellow auroras in the sky

Rare 'backward' sunspot could create supercharged auroras this week

By Robert Lea published

It's believed that only 3% of all sunspots display reverse polarity as this one does.

green and purple ribbons of light fill the sky and a bright white streak of a meteor is visible in the center of the image.

Severe solar storm slams into Earth and sparks stunning auroras around the world (photos)

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Dazzling aurora displays — triggered by a severe solar storm — have been seen around the world. We take a look at some of the best photos here.

A large swirl of blue light shines above the peak of a hill.

Ethereal whirlpool of light grows into a giant, perfect spiral above Alaska. What was it?

By Harry Baker published

A mystifying swirl of light recently appeared in the night sky above Alaska, briefly outshining a vibrant auroral display.

the night sky is lit in a strange glow of purples, pinks, and reds

Mysterious aurora-like phenomenon 'STEVE' appears during strongest solar storm for more than half a decade

By Harry Baker published

The STEVE phenomenon was spotted across the U.S. and in parts of the U.K. after the most powerful solar storm to hit Earth for six years smashed into our planet.

The Northern Lights appear in the sky on March 23, 2023 in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada.

Skywatchers enjoy surprise auroras as strongest solar storm in years hits Earth (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

A surprise solar storm supercharged auroras across the U.S. and Europe last night (March 23), with sightings of the colorful displays reported from as far south as New Mexico and Arizona.

treeline with green auroras just above and red auroras reaching into the sky. a snowy landscape covers the front

A colossal 'hole' in the sun's atmosphere could supercharge Earth's auroras on March 24

By Elizabeth Howell published

A 'hole' in the sun's upper atmosphere may soon generate another geomagnetic storm here on Earth, creating auroras in places farther from the poles than usual.

bright green auroras in the sky above a coastal scene in iceland

Equinox on March 20 means more stunning auroras are coming. Here's why

By Rahul Rao published

Aurora hunters claim that, to look to the night sky in search of these beautiful displays, the dates around the equinoxes are the best.

Purple aurora glow seen above the horizon from California's Death Valley.

Gorgeous auroral glow surprises astrophotographer in California's Death Valley

By Tereza Pultarova published

The powerful solar storm that struck Earth earlier this week treated an American astrophotographer to unexpected aurora displays during a shooting trip to California's Death Valley.

auroras on the earth with solar panels from the space station in front. the sun shines in the background in space

Auroras, spacecraft mods and more: SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts reflect on their time in orbit

By Elizabeth Howell published

Before capturing "unreal" footage of auroras from the International Space Station, Josh Cassada was troubleshooting how to fit a fifth person into a four-seat SpaceX spacecraft.

Purple aurora glow seen above the horizon from California's Death Valley.

The amazing auroras of February 2023 are a visual feast for stargazers (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

A series of powerful solar storms set the sky ablaze in the last two days of February, with aurora sightings reported unexpectedly far away from their usual territories.

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada posted this dazzling aurora photo on Twitter on Feb. 28, 2023 with a simple but appropriate caption: "Absolutely unreal."

'Absolutely unreal:' NASA astronaut snaps amazing photo of auroras from space station

By Mike Wall published

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada captured a stunning shot of green auroras dancing in Earth's skies from his vantage point on the International Space Station.

A strong geomagnetic storm triggered stunning aurora displays across northern Europe and North America on Feb. 27, 2023.

Powerful solar storm delays SpaceX rocket launch, stalls oil rigs in Canada amid aurora-palooza

By Tereza Pultarova published

A solar storm that swept across Earth on Monday (Feb. 27) forced SpaceX to delay a Starlink launch and temporarily disrupted operations of several Canadian oil rigs.

Evan Boyce captured this stunning aurora above the coast of Northern Ireland.

Intense solar storm supercharges auroras over UK and more (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Powerful solar wind is blowing from the sun these days, setting the sky ablaze with auroras as far south as England's capital London. And more is yet to come.

An X2.2-class solar flare erupts from the sun on Feb. 17, 2023.

Sun unleashes massive X2-class solar flare during geomagnetic storm watch (video)

By Tariq Malik published

A massive solar flare erupted from the sun on Friday (Feb. 17) as the Earth was under a geomagnetic storm watch from flares earlier in the week.

rare red auroras visible in Canada in mid-February, 2023.

Rare red auroras explode over northern US and Europe with more on the way (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

A stream of solar plasma arrived at Earth last night, triggering rare red aurora displays across Canada, northern U.S. and Europe. And more is on its way.

Supercharged auroras glow over Alaska in an image capture on the night of Valentine's Day 2023.

Supercharged Valentine's Day auroras give Alaska-based polar lights chaser the night of his life (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Vincent Ledvina was as excited as the particles in the atmosphere over his head when a well-timed solar eruption triggered a night of auroral splendor on Valentine's Day.

claw-shaped solar flare bursting from the sun

Sun storm may supercharge auroras for Valentine's Day

By Elizabeth Howell published

Minor or G1-class aurora storms may happen overnight in high-latitude areas due to a swarm of particles associated with a big solar outburst on Saturday (Feb. 11).

An X1.1-class solar flare erupts from the sun on Feb. 11, 2023.

The sun just erupted with a major X-class solar flare. Here's what it looked like on video.

By Tariq Malik published

A major solar flare erupted from the erupted from the sun on Saturday (Feb. 11) and a NASA spacecraft caught it on video.

green auroras over a harbor and a boat monument

'Absolutely bonkers' aurora lights up the sky above Iceland (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

A physics student and 'aurora chaser' got a special treat after reserving a cabin in Iceland: A storm surge of green auroras shimmering in the sky just overhead.

The Northern Lights over the frozen Lake Superior in Michigan, in 2006.

Solar storm could make auroras visible from northern Maine or Michigan tonight

By Elizabeth Howell published

A slight bump in activity on the sun might make auroras shine as far south as Maine or Michigan, but that's only if observers can get around a massive winter storm in the region.