Aurora Borealis

Have you ever looked up at the very, very top of the world on a cold, clear night. If you’re lucky, you might see me. I don’t make a sound. I just swirl and shimmer, painting the dark sky with ribbons of green, pink, and purple light. I’m like a silent, secret light show put on by the Earth itself. Sometimes I’m a gentle glow, and other times I dance wildly across the stars. Before people knew my name, they would watch me and wonder, 'What is that beautiful, mysterious light?'. I am the Aurora Borealis, the dancing lights of the north.

For thousands of years, people told amazing stories about me. Some people in the north, called the Norse, believed I was the reflection from the shields of warrior maidens called Valkyries. Others thought I was a bridge to the spirit world. It wasn't until the year 1619 that a very smart astronomer named Galileo Galilei gave me my official name: Aurora Borealis. That means 'the dawn of the north'. Isn’t that poetic. For a long time, how I worked was a mystery. Then, a scientist from Norway named Kristian Birkeland had a brilliant idea around the year 1896. He figured out that I am created by tiny particles that zoom all the way from the Sun. This stream of particles is called the solar wind. When they get to Earth, they are guided by an invisible force field around our planet and mix with the air high up in the sky. When they bump into oxygen, I glow green. When they meet nitrogen, I can blush pink or red. It’s a little bit of the Sun saying hello to the Earth.

Today, you don’t have to believe in myths to find me magical. I am proof of the amazing connection between our planet and the Sun. I remind people how big and wonderful the universe is. Scientists still study me to learn more about space and the Earth's protective shield. So next time you see a picture of me, or maybe even see me for real, remember the incredible journey those little sun particles took just to dance for you. I hope I will always inspire you to look up, ask questions, and dream about the beautiful mysteries of our world.