INTRODUCTION:
Aurora Borealis (northern lights), are found in the Northern Hemisphere. Aurora Australis (southern lights), are found in the Southern Hemisphere.
FORMATION:
Either way, the Aurora begins with a Solar Flare. Charged particles are emitted from the sun. These particles collide with molecules and atoms in the atmosphere after they impale Earth's magnetic field. Photons, or little bursts of light, are created. These photons create auroras!
COLORS:
No matter where these lights are located, they come in many different colors. When the photons/electrons collide with oxygen, red and green auroras occur. Pink and purple auroras are caused when collisions with Nitrogen occur. Other colors include yellow and blue. All red auroras are very rare. The lights extend from 80 kilometers to 640 kilometers above Earth's surface.
LOCATION:
They can be best seen in an irregularly shaped oval at the magnetic poles called the Auroral Oval. Quite often, the auroras in the north and south are mirror images of eachother, happening at similar times with similar colors and shapes. Though, the northern lights have been seen as far south as New Orleans, USA. The southern lights occur in a ring around the southern Indian Ocean and Antarctica, and aren't often seen anywhere else.
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