Northern Lights

Polar Lights – a beautiful phenomenon that animates thousands of people to visit Scandinavia. Everyone has heard of them and they appear on many bucket lists. But what happens when there are northern lights? What did ancient people think about them? These questions will be answered in this article! 

Fun Facts

First of all, a few interesting facts about polar lights! They come into existence in the very north and south regions on Earth, but they can expand over a wide area. At the North Pole they are called Aurora Borealis and in the Antartic Aurora Australis. So, there are actually northern lights at the South Pole! In the north, people have long believed, that the polar lights are omens of war or famines. Some also believed that they were messages from the dead. So northern lights have always been impressive phenomena! 

But how?

Auroras exists, because the sun sends the so-called solar wind to the Earth. This solar wind interacts with the magnetic field of the Earth and the solar particles are sent around the poles. These particles are electrically charged and when they hit an oxygen atom, for example, this atom will be stimulated. That’s why the oxygen atom is emitting light and when this process happens with countless atoms, we can watch a beautiful aurora! 

Types and Colours

Polar lights come in different shapes, such as arcs, bands, surfaces, and rays. Visibility depends on the type and color of the light, with green lights being more visible than red ones, for example. While green is the most common color, blue or purple auroras are less common. 

To sum up, polar lights are fascinating phenomena that have captivated many generations with their beauty and their mystic look. Scientifically, they are a complex and interesting subject, too. Hopefully you‘ve learned something new about polar lights and liked this post! I’m looking forward to your comments.