The Northern Lights is a light show that appears only once in a while, but when they do, it can be a great experience. This light show happens when electrically charged particles from the sun, and when they meet the earth’s atmosphere, it creates these lights. There have been reports of the lights since 1880, and has had colors of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
The Northern Lights can be seen in either the northern or southern hemisphere. It’s known as ‘Aurora Borealis’ in the north and ‘Aurora Austrialis’ in the south. But the best place to see the lights in North America is Canada, near the Yukon and northwest territories. In the southern hemisphere, the best place to see the lights are near the Indian Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. I’ve never seen the lights, but I always had passion for it.
Many cultures have legends about the ‘Aurora’ and have some pretty cool explanations. The words ‘Aurora Borealis’ and ‘Aurora Australis’ mean ‘dawn of the north’ and ‘dawn of the south’. In Roman culture, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn. Also, in medieval times, the lights meant that war and famine will come their way. Yikes. The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed the lights were manabai’wok (giants) who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen.
So, I bet you’ve learned something about the Northern Lights that you probably never known before. Maybe you don’t even know what the lights were until now! Also, if you have any experiences with the lights, comment below!
Thanks To:
http://www.visitnorway.com/us/what-to-do/attractions-culture/nature-attractions/let-there-be-northern-lights/
http://www.northernlightscentre.ca/northernlights.html
http://www.nathab.com/uploaded-files/carousels/TRIPS/Northern-Lights-Photo/Northern-Lights-Photo-1-green-sky.jpg
http://d33gqm9lw3yglq.cloudfront.net/ImageVaultFiles/id_13982/cf_432/northern-light-tromsoe-norway-318.jpg