polar lights
Sky's magnetic dance
Polar lights are the luminous atmospheric displays—aurora borealis in the north, aurora australis in the south—caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere.
The term emphasizes geography over mythology, unlike the Latin names: We watched the polar lights dance across the Arctic sky.
Atmospheric light display
- borealisOf the north
- australisLatin term meaning southern
- geomagneticOf Earth's magnetic properties
- ionosphereCharged upper atmospheric layer
solar wind · magnetosphere · charged particles · electrons · plasma · collisions · excitation · emission
Act of watching something
- photographyCreating images from light
- timelapseRecording shown greatly accelerated
- chaseRapid following of quarry
- forecastPrediction of future conditions
Kp index · solar activity · expedition · wilderness · remote · cold · patience · awe
Gleaming with wavering light
- curtainsHanging fabric window covers
- ribbonsNarrow fabric strips
- arcsCurved line segments
- bandsMusical performing groups
rays · corona · green · violet · red · pink · luminous · glowing
Inherited cultural narratives
- InuitArctic indigenous people
- VikingMedieval Nordic raider
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- spiritsLiquor or apparitions
omens · legends · Indigenous · storytelling · wonder · bucket list · Iceland · Norway
Light after sunset
- starlightLuminance from distant suns
- darknessTotal absence of light
- midnightTwelve o'clock at night
- constellationsRecognized celestial groupings
celestial · cosmos · stargazing · horizon · zenith · meteor · moonlit · clear skies
aurora
Atmospheric light display
- borealisOf the north
- australisLatin term meaning southern
- geomagneticOf Earth's magnetic properties
ionosphere · solar wind · magnetosphere · charged particles · electrons · plasma · collisions · excitation · emission · photons
viewing
Act of watching something
- photographyCreating images from light
- timelapseRecording shown greatly accelerated
- chaseRapid following of quarry
forecast · Kp index · solar activity · expedition · wilderness · remote · cold · patience · awe · breathtaking
shimmering
Gleaming with wavering light
bands · rays · corona · green · violet · red · pink · luminous · glowing · dancing
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
spirits · omens · legends · Indigenous · storytelling · wonder · bucket list · Iceland · Norway · Alaska
twilight
Light after sunset
constellations · celestial · cosmos · stargazing · horizon · zenith · meteor · moonlit · clear skies · solstice
- auroragreen glow
- aurora phenomenaaurora australis
- aurorasaurora australis
- planetary featuresvolcano, mountain, crater, canyon, cliff
- Aurora themesaurora australis, spectral colors, green glow, magnetic storms, solar wind
polar lightssunset
Day yielding to darkness
sunrise · sunlight · moonlight · starlight · bioluminescence
polar lightsfireworks
Explosive light displays
neon lights · city lights · artificial lighting · searchlights · light pollution
light, pole, polar, lights, polarization, northern lights, polarity, polarizing, bipolar