Allie's Aurora Borealis Report

Aurora Borealis by Allie

The Aurora Borealis is a breath taking light show in the Polar Regions. The red, blue, green, and violet colors are all fluttering like the waves of Heaven’s Ocean in the night sky. Aurora was the goddess of the dawn and Boreal is Latin for north. The southern lights are equivalent to the Northern Lights but are called Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere. The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights have made people fear and wonder what causes these lights for centuries.

          The Aurora Borealis is caused by solar flares from the sun that travels 18 hours to get to our atmosphere. The gases in the ionosphere mix with the solar flares and create the great colors in the sky. Oxygen atoms give off red and light, and nitrogen molecules give off violet and blue light. The Aurora can also surprisingly happen on planets like Jupiter and Saturn.

          Northern Lights can be seen in Greenland, Alaska, Iceland, Northern Canada, Coast of Siberia, and Northern Scandinavia. The best time to view the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere is from September to March and they are best seen near midnight. Rarely are the lights seen outside of the Polar Regions.

          There are many myths explaining the Aurora Borealis. In Scotland people have reported hearing battle cries of their ancestors fighting in the war. Scientists have tried to record the cries but have failed. Canadian Eskimos believed that the lights would bring good weather and bountiful hunting. In Scandinavia, the lights were a welcome omen for fishermen to haul in large catches of fish.

          The Auroras are beautiful light show near the Polar Regions. Their power and beauty just makes me sigh. I wish I could see them in real life. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.