What is the Aurora Borealis?
NASA defines auroras as "colourful, dynamic and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather". The spectacular display of multi-coloured lights in the northern hemisphere are known as Aurora Borealis or the northern lights.
What makes the Aurora Borealis colourful?
The Aurora Borealis exudes beautiful green, red and even blue or purple hues. While oxygen atoms help create the vastly seen green and red colours, nitrogen molecules produce the blue and purple colours. The colours largely depend on the gases that collide with the charged particles and the altitude.
What does the Aurora Borealis look like?
Auroras usually spread all across the sky and have no particular shape or fame. They look akin to colourful showers suspended in the sky with huge shimmering rays. The lights move either slowly or appear to be dancing. The Aurora Australis or the southern lights appear similar to the northern lights.
When are where to watch the northern light?
A major tourist and local attraction, the best time to view the lights is between 9 pm and 11 pm, given the sky is very clear. The months of August to March is the peak time to catch this unique display of nature. The northern lights can be best seen from countries closer to the North Pole, such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland and Scandinavian countries.