Aurora

An aurora, sometimes referred to as a polar light, is a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions. Aurora are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emits light of varying colour and complexity.