At any given moment, the sun is ejecting charged particles from its corona, or upper atmosphere, creating the solar wind. When that wind slams into Earth’s ionosphere, or upper atmosphere, the aurora is born. In the Northern Hemisphere, the phenomenon is called the northern lights (aurora borealis), while in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s called the southern lights (aurora australis).
These particles are deflected towards the poles of Earth by our planet’s magnetic field and interact with our atmosphere, depositing energy and causing the atmosphere to fluoresce. The bright colors of the northern lights are dictated by the chemical composition of Earth’s atmosphere.
It’s very rare for the northern lights to be seen at lower latitudes so being able to walk out and see them in my front yard is likely a once or twice in a lifetime experience. We were lucky to capture some great pictures!
If you wish to know more about aurora and when it may be visible in your area check out https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental for daily predictions.