Aurora borealis in the night sky. The aurora borealis is a coloured light display (the northern lights) that is visible in the night sky, usually only


Aurora borealis in the night sky. The aurora borealis is a coloured light display (the northern lights) that is visible in the night sky, usually only at high latitudes. It occurs when charged and energetic particles from the Sun (the solar wind) are drawn by Earth's magnetic field to the polar regions. Hundreds of kilometres up, they collide with gas molecules and atoms, causing them to emit light. This image shows the full colours of the aurora as captured by camera, showing colours not visible to the naked eye. Photographed in Iceland near the Eyjafjalla Glacier in August 2014 during the Shelios 2014 expedition.


Size: 5145px × 3430px
Photo credit: © JUAN CARLOS CASADO (starryearth.com)/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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