Aurora borealis over a mountain. This coloured light display (the northern lights) is visible in the night sky at high latitudes. It occurs when charg

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Aurora borealis over a mountain. This coloured light display (the northern lights) is visible in the night sky 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 aurora is seen over Krakmotinden, a distinctively shaped mountain (923 metres) near Hamaroy, Nordland, Norway.

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Photo credit: © TOMMY ELIASSEN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
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