Breathtaking Northern Lights Scenery

Northern Lights is a common name for the Aurora Borealis (Polar Aurorae) in the Northern Hemisphere. They are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions.

Polar Aurorae seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from further away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun was rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree people call this phenomenon the “Dance of the Spirits.” Aurorae can be spotted throughout the world. It is most visible closer to the poles due to the longer periods of darkness and the magnetic field.

Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia.

Sylvain Serre took this picture in Salluit, Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, on March 25 2009 [link]

Sylvain Serre, Salluit, Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, Mar. 22, 2009 [link]

Gilles Boutin, Salluit Nunavik Canada Mar. 23, 2009 [link]

Aleksander Chernucho, Mt. Khibiny, Kolyskia peninsula, Russia Mar. 12, 2009 [link]

Red and green Aurora in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photograped by Mila Zinkova [link]

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Shines above Bear Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang [link]

Rune Christianse, Nuuk, Greenland Mar. 13, 2009 [link]

Akhmetsafin Ruslan, Aykhal, Yakutia, Russia (Siberia) Mar. 24, 2009 [link]

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Another of Sylvain’s pictures, taken the same night. Auroras are most often seen around the spring and autumn equinox[link]

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Thomas Bojer Eltorp, Nuuk, Greenland Mar. 16, 2009 [link]