Description

As seen on Astronomy Picture of the Day and National Geographic News the northern lights dominate the sky above Yellowknife in northern Canada. Aurora, which is mostly seen from polar latitudes, is also known as the northern or southern lights. It is produced by the collision of charged particles from Earth’s magnetosphere, mostly electrons but also protons and heavier particles, with atoms and molecules of Earth’s atmosphere (at altitudes above 80 km). The particles originate from the Sun and reach the Earth in the stream of solar wind. © Kwon, O Chul

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comments (2)


  • Sam Lopez Reply

    Absolutely beautiful!

    March 15, 2011 at 5:34 pm
  • James Cameron Reply

    Congratulations on being selected for APOD. Great Aurora pictures.

    March 25, 2011 at 8:54 am

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