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The northern lights

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Uploaded on March 18, 2022

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The northern lights

2022-03-18 – In this video, discover the northern lights: what they are, how they form, their colours and how to view them. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Neil Zeller)

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What are the northern lights?

They are a spectacular, colourful display of light commonly seen in the night sky in the northern hemisphere.

How do they form?

When electrons and protons collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Those collisions produce tiny flashes that fill the sky with colourful light.

As billions of flashes occur in sequence, the northern lights appear to dance in the sky.

The following colours can be seen:

Green

Dark pink

Red

Blue and purple

Where can you see the northern lights?

They can be admired on most clear nights from August to May in northern Canada.

They can also be seen in more southerly parts of Canada during periods of intense solar activity.

Watch the northern lights live: asc-csa.gc.ca/auroras

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