What other names are sometimes used for the northern lights?

What other names are sometimes used for the northern lights?

Northern lights are also called by their scientific name, aurora borealis, and southern lights are called aurora australis.

What are the two types of northern lights?

An aurora can happen at either of the Earth’s magnetic poles, north or south. An aurora is considered one of the most gorgeous natural occurrences, and you’re lucky if you see one. The two types of auroras are called aurora borealis and aurora australis — which mean northern lights and southern lights, respectively.

Is also called the polar lights or the northern lights?

Description: Aurora is sometimes referred to as ‘polar light’. It is predominantly seen in the regions of high altitudes like the Arctic and Antarctic. An aurora is caused by the streams of electrified particles (which are emitted by the sun) trapped in the magnetic field of the earth.

What is the difference between Northern Lights and southern lights?

Other than geographical location, there really is no difference between the Northern Lights and the Southern Lights. They both take place over the polar regions and are basically the same phenomenon.

Can a plane fly through the Northern Lights?

“We can actually fly into the auroras,” says eye-witness Don Pettit, a Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 30. Lately, the International Space Station has been flying through geomagnetic storms, giving astronauts an close-up view of the aurora borealis just outside their windows: video.

Can you hear the aurora borealis?

“But if you think about it physically, there’s no way you’re actually getting sounds from the aurora itself.” That’s because the northern lights occur between 60 and 100 miles above the Earth’s surface and it takes sound several seconds to travel a mile, Hampton said.

What are Northern Lights caused by?

As the protons and electrons from the solar wind hit the particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, they release energy – and this is what causes the northern lights.

What kind of light is in the Northern Lights?

The northern lights, one of several astronomical phenomena called polar lights (aurora polaris), are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky. Aurora borealis – the Northern Lights.

Who was the first person to see the Northern Lights?

According to Neil Bone ( The Aurora: sun-earth interactions, 1996), the term aurora borealis–northern dawn–is jointly credited to have first been used by Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who both witnessed a light display on Sept. 12, 1621.

What is the name of the aurora borealis?

Answer The northern lights, one of several astronomical phenomena called polar lights (aurora polaris), are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky. Aurora borealis – the Northern Lights. Chena Hot Springs, Alaska, 2013.

Where do you see the Northern Lights in Alaska?

Northern Lights, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, shines above Bear Lake. The lights are the result of solar particles colliding with gases in Earth’s atmosphere.