The Northern Lights – what are they?
The Northern Lights are a phenomenon that is seen in the skies on clear, dark nights in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Scientists say that they are normally created at a height of 100 kilometres, when electric particles (electrons and protons) accelerated by the Earth’s magnetic field collide with molecules of air. These release some of the energy that is obtained in the form of visible light. The most common greenish-yellow and the not-so-common red lights originate from the oxygen in the atmosphere, blue and violet come from the nitrogen. The particles that create the Northern Lights originate from the Sun, from where they are hurled into Space at a speed of 1,000 kilometres a second on the solar wind. Different cultures hold many beliefs about the Northern Lights. Lapps have believed that the Northern Lights have a special quality to settle disagreements. Asians believe they increase fertility, while the Japanese believe that children conceived under the Northern Lights are lucky
