with a throbbing, thrilling flame; Amber and rose and violet, opal and gold it came. It swept the sky like a giant scythe, it quivered back to a wedge; Argently bright, it cleft the night with a wavy golden edge. Pennants of silver waved and streamed, lazy banners unfurled; Sudden splendors of sabres gleamed, lightning javelins were hurled. There in our awe we crouched and saw with our wild, uplifted eyes Charge and retire the hosts of fire in the battlefield of the skies.
Robert Service
No description can describe the splendor or the magnificence of the natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. The Northern lights have been described in ancient times by the Eskimos, American Indians, world explorers and even mentioned in the Old Testament.
The aurora borealis (northern lights) are beautiful, dynamic, luminous displays seen in the night sky in the northern latitudes, near the pole.
The Aurora Borealis encircles the entire Polar Regions. People on earth only see a small part of their display as the lowest sections of the Aurora are 40 miles up. Astronauts looking down on the polar region from space have a better overall view to observe the Aurora as it extends app. 600 miles above the earth.
Though the aurora appear to come near to the ground, the light originates high in the atmosphere. The lowest aurora are about 100 kilometers or 62 miles above the ground. This is much higher than clouds.
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