The Mystical Northern Lights
"Aurora Borealis"  

Since I was a young child, I have been intrigued and drawn to the Mystical Northern Lights, "Aurora Borealis." Growing up in Northern Alberta, in small communities away from the glare of big city lights, the aurora was easily visible for us.  I remember first seeing them, mesmerized by the dancing lights in the night skies, totally taken back by their beauty and freedom to dart across the skies which ever way they wanted! Then, as a child I knew nothing  of the scientific reasons they occurred, just that they took place,  and excepted them, like the trees, air, land, water and stars. The aurora happens when electrically charged particles
from the sun sent into space (mostly electrons), gather at the earth's magnet poles, which accelerate when they collide with gas atoms , causing the atoms to give off visible lights in the upper atmospheres. It is the altitude of the collisions that decides the color and intensity of the lights. Did you know you can even hear the lights? Check the link below, and hear the amazing sounds heard from the Belly River campground right here in Southern Alberta! They are amazing!!!!!
 

  Exciting Links about the Aurora Borealis

• Nordlys Discover the northern lights phenomena through text, pictures, audio and video.

• Aurora Chasers  old site, ADEC is a FREE system which can alert you to an Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) display at your location on earth.

• The Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer Pegasus XI launched from Western test range of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to measure and monitor the electric fields in the space around the Earth passing often thru the Northern and Southern Lights fields.

• Auroras 2000.com a guide to the Northern and Southern Lights

• What Causes the Northern Lights general interest brochure answering common questions.

• Listening to the Northern Lights Radio brings you the work of Steve McGreevy whose recordings of the Earth's magnetic fields during auroral showers

• Paintings in the Sky Learn about the Northern Lights on a self-guided tour.

• The Aurora Page  at Michigan Technical University, features beautiful aurora photographs by Jan Curtis.

• Space Weather at NASA. Scroll down to Galleries , and view Summer Auroras and Auroras Surprise.

• The Aurora Page  at the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute, includes aurora forecasts.

• Shooting the Aurora Borealis terrific pictures and excellent tips on how to shoot them.