NORTHERN LIGHTS (AURORA BOREALIS): WHAT THEY ARE & HOW TO SEE THEM?
The Northern Lights are an atmospheric phenomenon that's regarded as the holy grail of the sky watching. Image Credits: Freepik The Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis, are beautiful dancing waves of lights that have captivated people for millennia. But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. Energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught. As Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles towards the poles -- there are southern lights, too, which you can read about below -- the dramatic process transforms into a cinematic atmosphere phenomenon that dazzles and fascinates scientist and sky watches alike. THE HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS Though it was Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei who coined the name "aurora borealis