A Symphony of Colors: The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are a spectacular natural phenomenon occurring in the polar regions.

Their breathtaking show of colors in the night sky is a result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere and charged particles released from the Sun's atmosphere.

Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding.

The most common auroral color, a bright yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above Earth.

High-altitude oxygen, above 200 miles, can produce rare, usually red auroras.

Nitrogen, by comparison, produces blue or purplish-red auroras.

The lights appear between 60 and 600 miles above Earth's surface and can extend hundreds or thousands of miles into space.

It's not just Earth that gets to enjoy these lights - other planets, such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, experience them too!.