How Does the Aurora Borealis Actually Work?

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, happen when super-fast particles from the sun dance with gases in Earth's atmosphere.

Imagine you're at a party where guests are flying through the air really fast, these are like charged particles coming from the sun. When they reach Earth, they bump into gas molecules high up in the sky, just like when you run into someone at the party and both of you start dancing.

Different gases light up with different colors:

• Oxygen usually lights up green or red, like a glow stick you shake at a birthday party.
• Nitrogen tends to shine blue or purple, like the sky just after sunset.

These fast guests come from the sun, and they travel through space in a stream called the solar wind. Sometimes this stream is stronger, like when someone at the party starts running instead of walking, causing more dazzling lights in the sky.

So next time you see the northern lights, picture a cosmic dance party happening right above your head!