Only recently has physics solved the mystery of auroral lights. This phenomenon is produced when certain nuclear particles from the solar wind penetrate the upper atmosphere (the ionosphere) through the polar horns. When they collide with the atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere, these particles produce spectacular light displays. In the north, they are called the aurora borealis; in the south, the aurora australis. They extend over thousands of kilometers but are less than 1 km thick.

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