Aurora

Displays of aurora have always fascinated me, which is why I was happy to discover that there are so many images of them on Pinterest. Here are a few facts about these colorful lights in the sky:

1. The term aurora borealis refers to the Northern Lights. It is used when the display is in the northern hemisphere.

2. When these colorful lights are visible in the southern hemisphere (Southern Lights), they're known as aurora australis.

3. The most common colors in aurora displays are pink and pale green.

4. Aurora is Latin for dawn. These beautiful light displays were named for Aurora, the goddess of the dawn.

5. Displays of aurora have been the subject of many legends and superstitions, including the belief that they were spirits.

6. Aurora occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the earth's atmosphere.

I've been pinning and repinning these images on my Nature's Beauty board. I get many of them from Dan Ashbach, who has a pinboard dedicated to them.

For more information about the lights, visit the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre.

Image: Aurora borealis above Bear Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Credit: Senior Airman Joshua Strang, USAF.