Follow the provided links and suggest reading material for a more 'in depth' review. The aurora is a phenomenon of the upper atmosphere, generally occuring at an altitude of between 65-1000km. It provides the observer with an opportunity to view Earth's continual interaction with it's closest stellar neighbour, namely the Sun.
Auroral storms are both intrinsically beautiful and intellectually rewarding.
Whilst they may strike deep into the mythological feelings of the observer, they are well understood in terms of the Laws of Physics. The Sun plays an important role in the production of auroral storms, namely by producing the solar wind. Essentially, the electrons around these atoms have been 'boosted' up to higher energy levels. When this aquired energy is re-emitted, it is in the form of visible light, which is what the observer sees. The solar wind is not the only source of charged particles to act in the process of excitation in the Earths upper atmosphere.