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Guidebook for Alaska Adventure Travel |
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The Aurora Borealis , or northern lights, are glimmering ribbons of color that flash across the northern sky and leave all who see it with a sense of wonder and a feeling of being touched by some mystical force.
Native Alaskans believed that the souls of departed ancestors could be seen in the shimmering colored bands of the northern lights. Turn–of–the–century prospectors held the belief that the heavenly display was a reflection of the ultimate gold strike "the Mother Lode".
The lights themselves are created by electrically charged particles,
drawn to Earth's atmosphere by the magnetic field of the North Pole.
As the particles collide with the gases in Earth's atmosphere, they
become illuminated, creating the colorful aurora borealis.
Although the magnetic field that creates the lights is active all year long, the long daylight hours of summer make the lights difficult to see. The best time to view this spectacle in Alaska is from August to April and the best Alaskan location for viewing is Barrow to the north and Fairbanks to the south of the Arctic circle.
Next page for The Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights):
Where to See the Northern Lights ;
When to see Northern Lights ;
Photo Tips for the Aurora Borealis
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