The first thing to understand is that that name only knows the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere – perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re known as the Southern Lights below the equator. As such, the scientific name is aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis in the south.
The word aurora is taken from the Roman goddess of the dawn. The Greeks knew the goddess as Eos; her siblings were Helios (the Sun) and Selene (the Moon). It’s said that she would travel from east to west and announce the arrival of the Sun.
Of course, it wasn’t just the Greeks and Romans who associated the phenomenon with the otherworldly. Many Inuits knew the aurorae as an aquarist and believed them to be the souls of the dead playing football with a walrus head. Others thought they were less friendly spirits and that if you disrespected them, they would kill you.
Not surprisingly, many people thought them torches, lanterns, or somehow linked to fires. In China and Russia, the lights were associated with dragons. None of these stories, of course, can explain the true nature of the phenomenon.
What Causes The Northern Lights?
The whole process has yet to be entirely understood, but it’s known to be linked to the Sun and the earth’s magnetic field. The Sun constantly ejects charged particles into space, typically ions, electrons, or protons. Known as the solar wind, these particles hit the earth’s magnetosphere and interact with it.
These particles ionize, or “excite,” gas within the earth’s upper atmosphere, causing photons (light) to be emitted. The actual color of the aurorae depends upon the gas that’s been excited.
- Red aurorae are the rarest and are caused by oxygen at the highest level of the atmosphere, around 200 kilometers (124 miles) or more above the earth’s surface.
- Green aurorae are the most commonly caused by atomic oxygen and nitrogen. They typically form at about 100 kilometers (62 miles) or higher.
- Blue aurorae occur below 120 kilometers (75 miles) at lower altitudes. These aurorae are caused by molecular nitrogen.
As with the Northern lights, the southern lights occur when electrically charged solar particles and atoms in the earth’s atmosphere collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen, causing those gases to emit light.
The Southern Lights can be viewed all year round – although most commonly during winter (May to August) and during the spring equinox in September. Your best chance of witnessing this phenomenon is as far south as possible – Tasmania.
Aurora Borealis is a spectacular natural light display in the earth’s sky.
Where is the best place to the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights are often associated with the colder countries of the north – which isn’t an unreasonable assumption! They typically form within a band three to six degrees wide between latitudes 70 and 80 degrees north or south of the equator.
That’s not to say you have to live at those latitudes to see them; in the northern hemisphere, they’re often seen from the United Kingdom, north of Europe, Canada, and the northern half of the United States. And while it’s rare for the aurorae to reach the southern states, it’s not unheard of. For example, in March 1989, the northern lights were seen as far south as Miami, Florida.
Their visibility depends upon the solar wind, which, in turn, depends upon how active the Sun is. If the Sun is particularly active, a significant solar flare could strike the earth, disturbing the magnetosphere and causing the aurorae to appear brighter and farther toward the equator.
Southern Lights
Where is the best place to see the Southern Lights?
The best chance of witnessing this phenomenon is to be as far south as possible. All you need for a sighting is a broad horizon (away from artificial light), a decent camera, and good timing.
Given that earth’s magnetic field is closest to its surface at the North and South poles, Antarctica and Tasmania are the best spots for seeing the Southern Lights given their proximity to them.
The best time to see the southern lights at their brightest is when the night sky is as dark as possible. Midnight is the optimal time, as the Sun is on the other side of the planet. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to your viewpoint before midnight to make the most of the hour!
What Do The Lights Look Like?
Let’s say you get lucky and have the chance to see the northern lights tonight. What do they look like? You’ve undoubtedly seen the images and videos online and have been wowed by the aurorae’s striking colors and soft movements.
Reds are less common than green. Collisions with nitrogen cause blue, purple, and reddish lights – often visible on an aurora’s lower fringes. Hydrogen and helium can also produce blue and purple auroras.
Unfortunately, the reality is a bit different. The cameras that shoot those images and videos are more sensitive to light than your eyes, so that you won’t see anything nearly as bright or colorful. The lights can be so subtle that you could be staring at the aurorae and not even realize it.
At first, you might see a cloud, but it won’t seem quite right. There’s something about its shape that makes it stand out. It might even look like a snake but appear very ethereal and misty. It could also be slowly changing shape and drifting across the sky, from north to south.
A Hint of Red, Green, or Blue
So then you think it’s smoke, but that doesn’t seem right either. Smoke, for starters, doesn’t usually have a hint of red, green, or blue, and at that point, if you haven’t already realized that you’re staring at the Northern Lights, you might very well be completely confused!
Once you’ve seen it, you won’t mistake it again, but if you want to be sure, it’s worth checking online. Social media can be an excellent resource; a Facebook or Reddit group will almost certainly confirm your sighting. Alternatively, try AuroraSaurus for up-to-the-minute reports from around the globe. Be sure to report your sighting so others can verify their observations too!
Regardless of where or how you see the lights, a sense of wonder and curiosity naturally accompanies them. Nothing else in the sky seems so otherworldly, and it’s easy to imagine them as spirits from another plane briefly visiting the physical realm. Science may explain their origin, but imagination truly brings them to life.
