Nature's light show: The magic of Northern Lights explained

The term "aurora borealis" was first used in 1619 by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who named it after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas.

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are an ethereal display of vibrant lights in the sky that has long captivated humanity. Beautiful images of this natural occurrence are currently getting viral . But, what exactly causes this eye-catching display? In this explainer, we will look at the science behind the Northern Lights and discuss everything you need to know.

The enigmatic Aurora borealis has captivated people since ancient times. (Photo by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash)

Decoding the name

The term "aurora borealis" was first used in 1619 by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who named it after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas.

According to a report from Nasa, the first auroral citation is from China, dating to 2600 B.C. "Fu-Pao, the mother of the Yellow Empire Shuan-Yuan, saw strong lightning moving around the star Su, which belongs to the constellation of Bei-Dou, and the light illuminated the whole area." While the earliest depiction of aurora is thought to be way back in 30,000 B.C. in Cro-Magnon cave-paintings in modern-day France. (ALSO: Mesmerising video of Northern aurora borealis will leave you stunned. Watch)

Myths associated with aurora borealis

The enigmatic Aurora borealis has captivated people since ancient times. According to a well-known Finnish folktale, the aurora borealis is caused by a magical Firefox that runs through the snow and shoots sparkles into the sky with its tail. The Sami people of northern Scandinavia believed that discussing the Northern Lights was inappropriate because they were thought to be the dancing spirits of the dead. The Northern Lights were thought to be reflections of the Valkyries' (female fighters who determined who survived and perished in combat) armour as they guided the soldiers to Odin in Norse mythology. (ALSO: Mesmerising pictures of aurora borealis in Alaska will make your jaw drop)

So, what exactly causes aurora borealis?

Researchers are still working to solve the mystery behind the fascinating lights. Even Galileo, who named them, had the misconception that the auroras he saw were caused by sunlight reflecting from the atmosphere.

According to the most widely accepted theory, the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are the result of electrically charged solar particles interacting with particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

The sun continuously produces a solar wind of charged particles, which exits the solar system. The magnetic field directs these charged particles to the Earth's polar regions, where they collide with atmospheric molecules such as oxygen and nitrogen, generating light.

The colours of the aurora are affected by the types of gas particles in the Earth's atmosphere with which the solar wind particles collide. Nitrogen produces blue and purple colours, oxygen produces green and red colours.

What about the lights in the South pole?

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, is a natural light display that can be seen in the southern hemisphere, similar to the Aurora Borealis. Because the southern hemisphere has fewer areas of land where the lights can be seen clearly, it is less well-known than the Northern Lights. Furthermore, the Aurora Australis can be seen most frequently in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, which are both remote and difficult to reach for most people. Photos taken from the International Space Station have shown a beautiful view of the Southern Lights.

Why do Northern lights appear only in Winters?

There are numerous factors affecting the visibility of auroras including the sun's activity, Earth's magnetic field, and weather conditions.

The northern regions have lengthy periods of darkness during the winter, which makes it easier to see the Northern Lights. The polar regions have nearly nonstop daylight in the summer, making it challenging to observe them.