Aurora Borealis, the northern polar lights. - 30 fotos

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Aurora Borealis or commonly named The Northern Lights is a natural display of lights in the North Pole regions of our globe.  The lights appear as flowing streams of color in the sky taking different shapes and contours and often look like a multicolored curtain coming down from outer space.

The light show comes to us courtesy of our Sun.  Electrically charged particles produced on the Sun are ejected in all directions and a great amount of them head toward Earth.  As these particles (called solar wind) encounter the Earth’s outer regions, the magnetic field of the Earth begins to interact with the particles.

What results is a change in energy and direction of the particles: they head along magnetic field lines toward the poles of Earth.  Just like a bar magnet has its field lines returning at the opposite ends so the Earth’s magnetic lines come together around the poles.  This is why the aurora borealis is brightest and most easily seen in the northern regions of our planet.

Most auroras are green and red emissions from atomic oxygen. Molecular nitrogen and nitrogen ions produce some low level red (pink) and very high blue/violet auroras. The light blue and green colors are produced by ionic nitrogen and the neutral helium gives off the purple colour whereas neon is responsible for the rare orange flares with the rippled edges. Different gasses interacting with the upper atmosphere will produce different colors, caused by the different compounds of oxygen and nitrogen. The level of solar wind activity from the Sun can also influence the color and intensity of the auroras.

Aurora Boreal, Iceland.

1 Aurora Boreal, Iceland. Credit: well_lucio #
Aurora Boreal, Iceland.

2 Aurora Boreal, Iceland. Credit: javiergimenez.com #
Aurora Borealis, Canada.

3 Aurora Borealis, Canada. Credit: Studiolit #
Aurora Borealis, Iceland.

4 Aurora Borealis, Iceland. Credit: alf07 °,° #
Northern lights. Aurora borealis.

5 Northern lights. Aurora borealis. Credit: eir@si #
Northern Sky.

6 Northern Sky. Credit: alf07 °,° #
Northern Sky.

7 Northern Sky. Credit: alf07 °,° #
Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway.

8 Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway. Credit: Natalia Robba #
Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway.

9 Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway. Credit: Natalia Robba #
Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway.

10 Aurora Borealis. Green northern lights. Norway. Credit: Natalia Robba #
Grace Lake Aurora, Canada.

11 Grace Lake Aurora, Canada. Credit: Natalia Robba #
Aurora to the moon. Iceland.

12 Aurora to the moon. Iceland. Credit: eir@si #
Skylight Iceland.

13 Skylight Iceland. Credit: eir@si #
Frosty night at Þingvellir.

14 Frosty night at Þingvellir. Credit: Arnar Valdimarsson #
Fish eye view of Þingvellir.

15 Fish eye view of Þingvellir. Credit: Arnar Valdimarsson #
Northern lights in Kópavogur, Iceland.

16 Northern lights in Kópavogur, Iceland. Credit: Gunnsi #
The Light Show, Iceland.

17 The Light Show, Iceland. Credit: S I G U R #
Northern Lights, Kulusuk.

18 Northern Lights, Kulusuk. Credit: nick_russill #
Northern Lights, Greenland.

19 Northern Lights, Greenland. Credit: nick_russill #
The Northern Lights show up the Big Dipper.

20 The Northern Lights show up the Big Dipper. Credit: Steve took it #
Aurora Borealis at Alaska.

21 Aurora Borealis at Alaska. Credit: Studiolit #
Aurora Borealis at Alaska.

22 Aurora Borealis at Alaska. Credit: Studiolit #
Aurora Borealis at Alaska.

23 Aurora Borealis at Alaska. Credit: Studiolit #
Northern Lights, Schwatka Lake, Yukon, Canada.

24 Northern Lights, Schwatka Lake, Yukon, Canada. Credit: Studiolit #
Heavenly Shape, Greenland.

25 Heavenly Shape, Greenland. Credit: nick_russill #
Aurora Borealis, Alaska.

26 Aurora Borealis, Alaska. Credit: Studiolit #
Aurora Borealis, Alaska.

27 Aurora Borealis, Alaska. Credit: Studiolit #
This shot was taken in Iceland, in a dark stretch in Road 1 on the way to Reykola.

28 This shot was taken in Iceland, in a dark stretch in Road 1 on the way to Reykola. Credit: Deivis #
Northern lights, Iceland.

29 Northern lights, Iceland. Credit: Deivis #
Heavenly Shape.

30 Heavenly Shape. Credit: nick_russill #
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Comments (7)

  1. Celebes wrote::

    Superb*****

    Friday, October 2, 2009 at 9:19 pm #
  2. susan wrote::

    i’m in love with these pictures! these sure have made my day, they’re amazing! and they’re like no other<3 I LOVE THEM! thanks everyone for taking such great photos.

    Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 6:56 pm #
  3. Anonymous wrote::

    Wow these are some AMAZING shots, i wish my camra was better

    Friday, December 18, 2009 at 12:28 pm #
  4. patrice wrote::

    really wonderful creation

    Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 12:10 pm #
  5. Zakwan wrote::

    I love these shorts, i wishes to see real these nice places.

    Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 2:50 pm #
  6. lily wrote::

    Simplemente hermoso, gracias a quien tuvo la oportunidad de estar precentes es esos momentos y ponerla las fotos en internet .

    Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:20 am #
  7. Oscar Peláez Morales wrote::

    Una vez más muchas gracias. soy amante de la fotografía y cada emvío de ustedes me deja mas sorprendido Felicidades a su equipo de fotografos

    Friday, February 3, 2012 at 3:20 am #

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