You might know it as the northern lights, but it's technically called the aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere.

In the Aurora, Australia's or southern lights in the Southern Hemisphere, this phenomenon occurs above the magnetic poles in the northern and southern hemispheres they form when gas is particles in the earth's atmosphere collide with charged particles released from the sun.

Electrons and protons from the sun are blown toward the earth by the solar wind.

As these air carried towards Earth, most of them are deflected by Earth's magnetic field.

However, the magnetic field is weaker at the polls, allowing some of the particles to funnel into the Earth's atmosphere.

The vibrant colors produced are determined by the type of gas.

Is that air colliding?

The result is a brilliant display of the common green in yellow, less common blue and violet, even rare reds painting the night sky and ribbons, arcs or shooting rays.

Oxygen produces green and red light, while nitrogen gives off blue and purple the best time of year to view the light show is during the winter months, when the nights are longer under a cloud free sky, away from light pollution mhm.