An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the
high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of
energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere
(thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and
solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth's magnetic field
into the atmosphere.
Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be
high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern
horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were
rising from an unusual direction.
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