I was about to explain the auroras, often referred to as the northern lights, but PBS does a much better job. "Auroras are luminous, deeply mysterious curtains of light that often grace dark skies near the North and South poles. They occur when a space weather event energizes the magnetic force field shielding our planet, churning up electrons and protons and causing them to smash into the mix of gases in the upper atmosphere. The result is a bright glow that can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours." All that matters to our eyes is that the auroras produce magnificent images like this.
Alaska is one of the best places to see the auroras, because they occur in the auroral oval, which is centered on the northern geomagnetic pole, and which usually passes over Alaska. The Aurora Webcam provides the first private worldwide live webcast of auroras in history. Tis the season so check it out. It's nature on acid and it's wicked.
