The Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) is a spectacular
natural phenomenon which can occasionally be seen in the night
sky over Britain.
Aurora is sparked by sunspots - dark, intensely
strong, Earth-sized magnetic fields on the sun's surface. The
sunspots are the trigger for the mass ejections of the solar particles.
When the particles hit oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper
atmosphere, they strip the atoms of their electrons and leave
them in an excited state, causing them to glow.
The Earth's magnetic field then draws the particles
towards the poles. North is normally the direction to look, but
when the geomagnetic activity is high be aware that the aurora
may be south of you.
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