The mechanics of the northern lights are still not fully understood, as there are multiple influences and atmospheric conditions that create these photogenic ripples of colored light in the sky. Scientists agree that solar winds—big pulses of energy from our sun—interfere with the Earth’s magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions. The result is a ghostly light show in the sky—like the one in our photo today, captured in Norway.
When science looks like magic
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Here’s looking at you, teachers
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Composite image of a lunar eclipse
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Glacier cave in Iceland
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Arromanches-les-Bains for the 81st anniversary of D-Day
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It’s oh so quiet
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Nomads of the Gobi
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Singing praises of the oceans
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Martinique
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National Hummingbird Day
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World Teachers Day
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Zion National Park turns 103
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International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
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Bearded reedlings in Flevoland
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Celebrating National Park Week, April 21-29
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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Poppies in bloom
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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
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International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
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Paradise, found
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Okavango Delta, Botswana
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Remembering Krakatoa
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South Stack Lighthouse, Holy Island, Wales
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Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota
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Cue up the tango music
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Indigo bunting
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Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
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National Park Service Founders Day
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What the hay?
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A tower of light
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