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How do auroras form?

 

What are the Northern Lights? And how can you see them?

 

The Northern Lights are a stunning display of glowing, swirling lights in the night sky that have amazed humankind for thousands of years. hese lights appear in places close to the North Pole, while a similar display called the Southern Lights (aurora australis) happens near the South Pole. But what causes them? And how can you see them?

 

A night-time photograph taken in Iceland in March 2025, showing vivid green aurora borealis sweeping across the sky in wide, flowing arcs. The aurora forms a twisting, luminous ribbon that curves above a small, single‑storey house with a red roof and pale exterior walls. The house sits in a dark, rocky landscape illuminated faintly by the glow of the aurora and a bright full moon on the right. Stars are visible through gaps in the auroral light, and thin clouds hover near the horizon. The scene feels remote and peaceful, dominated by the striking natural light display overhead.The Northern Lights (as seen from Iceland)

 

 

What causes the Northern Lights?

 

The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the Sun that travel through space and reach Earth. When these particles hit gases in our atmosphere, energy is released as bright lights. The most stunning auroras happen when the Sun sends out huge clouds of particles, called "coronal mass ejections". Imagine the Sun sneezing out a huge amount of particles towards Earth!

 

A scientific illustration shows Earth at the centre, surrounded by its magnetic field and labelled magnetospheric regions. The Sun sits on the left, emitting a stream of yellow solar wind particles that travel towards Earth. The solar wind strikes the front of Earth’s magnetic field, creating a curved, compressed boundary labelled “Bow Shock,” followed by a thin boundary called the “Magnetopause.” Surrounding this area is the “Magnetosheath,” shown as a turbulent, layered region between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere. Earth’s magnetic field lines are drawn as smooth, blue arcs flowing around the planet, compressed on the sun‑facing side and stretched into a long tail on the opposite side. Two coloured, doughnut‑shaped radiation belts encircle Earth: the “Inner Van Allen Belt” shown as a bright orange ring close to Earth’s surface, and the “Outer Van Allen Belt” shown as a larger, more diffused red and blue ring. Labels mark the “Magnetic North Pole” and “Magnetic South Pole” slightly offset from the “Geographic North Pole” and “Geographic South Pole.” Near the top of the planet, narrow funnel‑shaped openings in the magnetic field are labelled “Cusps.” On the night‑side of Earth, the field lines stretch into a long, tapered “Magnetotail,” which includes a central “Plasma Sheet,” drawn in red, running horizontally through the centre of the tail. The background is black, representing space, with faint stars scattered across it.A diagram (not to scale) of how the Earth’s magnetic field acts as a barrier against solar wind.

 

 

Why are the Northern Lights more common recently?

 

Recently, many more people have witnessed the Northern Lights, and there are a couple of reasons for this. The Sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year cycle, which brings an increase in sunspots and coronal mass ejections. As a result, more charged particles are reaching Earth. Since the last solar maximum in 2014, far more people now carry smartphones capable of capturing the aurora. Apps, social media and improved forecasting have also helped more of us know when to look.

 

 

When Can You See the Northern Lights?

 

The Northern Lights are best seen at night when the sky is clear. According to experts, the brightest lights usually appear between 23:00 and midnight local time. Remember, the lights often look brighter in photos because cameras can capture more light than our eyes.

 

You can check whether the Northern Lights will be visible in your area by using our free live aurora tracker.

 

 

How can you photograph the Northern Lights?

 

  • Use a camera with a long exposure time and keep it very still (a tripod is helpful).
  • If using a phone, switch off the flash, select night mode, and set the exposure time to 3–5 seconds.
  • Keep your phone very still while taking the photo.
  • Some camera apps allow you to adjust settings like shutter speed, ISO, and exposure length for better results.

 

 

Why do the Northern Lights have different colours?

 

Different gases in the Earth's atmosphere create different colours when they are hit by solar particles:

 

  • Oxygen makes green lights (the most common colour).
  • Nitrogen creates purple, blue, and pink lights (these are rarer).
  • Oxygen at higher altitudes can produce red lights. These are usually only visible during intense solar storms.

 

 

An infographic explains how different aurora colours form at various altitudes in Earth’s atmosphere. At the top left, a simplified illustration shows the Sun emitting solar wind toward Earth. Curved lines represent Earth’s magnetic field directing these charged particles toward the poles. On the right side, four vertical bands display stylised auroras in red, green, purple and pink, and blue. Each band is semi-transparent with smooth, curtain-like shapes against a dark starry sky. Next to each aurora type, text labels describe altitude ranges in both miles and kilometres, the responsible atmospheric gas, and the conditions that produce the colour. At the highest altitude, above 150 miles (241 km), a red aurora glows. It is labelled as excited atomic oxygen at high altitude, visible when intense solar activity excites sparse oxygen atoms. Below that, between 60 and 150 miles (96.6 to 241 km), a bright green aurora appears. It is labelled as excited atomic oxygen at lower altitude, noted as the most common aurora colour due to the greater abundance of oxygen and the amount of energy available. Lower still, under 60 miles (96.6 km), a purple and pink aurora is shown. It is attributed to ionised molecular nitrogen, which becomes visible during stronger solar storms. At a similar lower altitude, another aurora band shines blue. It is also caused by ionised molecular nitrogen and is noted as the lowest visible colour, typically appearing during strong solar particle events. The overall layout combines diagrams, coloured labels and atmospheric height markers to illustrate clearly how altitude and gas type determine the colour of auroras.

How auroras get their colours

 

 

Where can you see the Northern Lights?

 

The Northern Lights are most often seen in places close to the North Pole, such as Scandinavia, Greenland, Alaska, Canada, and Russia. If the Sun sends out a big enough burst of particles, the lights can be visible in places much further south—even as far as the Caribbean!

 

 

Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights in the UK?

 

In the UK, the best chances to see the Northern Lights are in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England. However, sometimes they are seen further south, like in Kent, Dorset, or even London, especially during strong solar activity.

 

 

Which Mmonth is best to see the Northern Lights?

 

The biggest displays of the Northern Lights often happen around the equinoxes (March-April and September-October). This is because there are more magnetic storms during these times.

 

 

Are the Aurora Borealis and the Northern Lights the same?

 

Yes! "Aurora borealis" is the scientific name for the Northern Lights. The name comes from the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas.

 

 

Where is the best place to go on holiday to see the Northern Lights?

 

The Northern Lights are seen most reliably in the "auroral zone" around the Earth's North Pole. Great places to visit include northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and northern Russia.

 

 

Quick Facts

 

  • The Northern Lights happen when charged particles from the Sun interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere.
  • They are most common near the North Pole but can sometimes be seen much further south.
  • The best time to see them is at night, especially around midnight, and more often near the equinoxes.
  • Green is the most common colour, but red, pink, and purple are possible too.

 

Useful Resources

 

 

🔬 Knowledge Check: How Auroras Form

Test your understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth's magnetic field that creates the Northern and Southern Lights.

1. What is the stream of charged particles released from the Sun called?

2. Which scientific name is used specifically for the 'Southern Lights'?

3. What part of the Earth's environment funnels charged particles toward the poles?

4. What is actually happening when the sky glows during an aurora?

5. Why do we see different colours, such as green or red, in an aurora?

Click to Reveal Answers
1. Solar Wind (The constant stream of particles from the Sun). 2. Aurora Australis (Australis refers to the southern hemisphere). 3. The Earth's Magnetic Field (It acts like a funnel directing particles to the poles). 4. Solar particles colliding with gas atoms (This collision releases energy as light). 5. Different types of gas atoms at different heights (Oxygen and nitrogen produce different colours when hit).

 

 

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