Skip to main content

What Causes Auroras?

0:30🌌 Aurora & Northern Lights

Charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth's upper atmosphere, exciting oxygen and nitrogen atoms that release the shimmering green and purple light of the aurora.

#aurora#northern lights#solar wind

Next Lesson

What Causes the Northern Lights?

More in Aurora & Northern Lights

What Causes the Northern Lights? 0:10

What Causes the Northern Lights?

How charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth's atmosphere to create the aurora borealis.

Watch
Aurora Views from the ISS: November 2025 Geomagnetic Storm

Aurora Views from the ISS: November 2025 Geomagnetic Storm

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station capture the aurora during the November 11-13, 2025 geomagnetic storm, following an X5.1 solar flare.

Watch