The Northern Lights

What Are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are also known as aurora borealis, or the northern polar lights. They're caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. The resulting light show can appear in a variety of colors-green is the most common hue, but you may also see reds and blues if you're lucky enough to spot one!

The first documented observation of these natural phenomena occurred in 1596 when astronomer David Fabricius observed them at night while on board a ship off Norway's coast. He described what he saw as "a strange brightness" that appeared around midnight and disappeared again after two hours had passed. Today we know this phenomenon as "aurora borealis," which means "dawn of the north" in Latin.

Where Can You See the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are visible in many places around the world, but there are some locations that are better than others. The best place to see them is somewhere with little light pollution and clear skies. In general, this means you'll want to travel north or south of the equator during winter months--December through March in most parts of the world--and go somewhere with low humidity and temperatures below freezing (around 0 degrees Celsius).

If you're looking for an even better chance at seeing them, try visiting Iceland during its winter festival season (late November through April) when conditions are ideal for viewing auroras. If Iceland isn't within your budget or reachable by plane, consider these other locations.

The Colors of the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are more than just a pretty light show in the sky. The colors of the Northern Lights can tell you what's happening on Earth below, and how it will affect you.

• Auroras are divided into two types: Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). They're both caused by solar storms, but they appear in different parts of the world--and their colors are different too.

• Red, green and blue are the primary colors used to create all other colors on our planet; so it makes sense that these three hues make up most of what we see in nature's greatest spectacle. But there are also other shades present during an aurora display: violet-reds; yellows; oranges; pinks...the list goes on...

Myths and Legends Surrounding the Northern Lights

There are many myths and legends surrounding the northern lights. The Inuit people believe that they are a sign from the spirits of their ancestors, who shine brightly in the sky to remind them of their presence. Norse mythology tells us that if you stare at them long enough, you will be able to see your future husband or wife. Other folktales suggest that if you wish upon a star in the night sky, it will come true--and maybe even bring about some magical powers.

The Northern Lights and the Aurora Borealis Phenomenon

The Northern Lights are a phenomenon that occurs when solar winds interact with the Earth's magnetosphere. The interaction causes electrons from the sun to be trapped in our planet's magnetic field, which then excites oxygen and nitrogen atoms in our atmosphere. These excited atoms release photons of light that we can see as an aurora borealis (Northern Lights) or aurora australis (Southern Lights).

The auroral oval is an area where these lights are most likely to be visible at any given time--it stretches from 65 degrees north latitude all the way down to 40 degrees south latitude on either side of the equator.

How to Photograph the Northern Lights

There are several things you can do to improve your chances of capturing an amazing image of the Northern Lights.

• First, make sure that your camera is in manual mode so that it's not set to automatically adjust exposure settings based on what it thinks is best. This will allow you to control all aspects of how bright or dark an image is by changing shutter speed and aperture settings yourself.
• Second, use a tripod so that everything stays still while taking photos. Tripods are especially helpful when photographing stars because they allow long exposures without blurring from movement caused by pressing down on the shutter button or shaking hands while holding up heavy equipment like DSLR cameras with large lenses attached--both of which can cause problems if left unbalanced over long periods of time due to fatigue.