The Northern and Southern Lights

1. The Northern and Southern Lights By: Emma

2. Northern Lights The Northern Lights are in the Northern Hemisphere. They take place between 50-400 miles above Earth. The Northern Lights are caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from a solar storm which causes the gasses of the thin upper atmosphere to glow. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. They can cast shadows or be so bright they could allow a person to read a newspaper! The Northern Lights are most common in polar regions. They are mostly north of Scandinavia to south of Greenland through Hudson Bay and Alaska. They can be in different shapes like sheets, arcs, and waving curtains.

3. Southern Lights The Southern Lights are in the Southern Hemisphere. They are the same as the Northern Lights just in in different places. There have been reports of the lights touching Earth’s surface before. If you are trying to look for the lights, look a few days before a solar storm. Some of the colors can be red, green, blue, and violet. The scientific name for the Southern Lights is, Aurora Australis. The scientific name for the Northern Lights is Aurora Borealis.

4. Legends There are many different legends about the Northern and Southern Lights. In Roman myths they were the goddesses of the dawn. The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed the lights were giants and spirits.

6. A Special Thanks to… http://whitneymcd7.files.wordpress.m/2008/04/northern-lights.jpg http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://whitneymcd7.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/northern-