About this aurora image Charged particles streaming fom the Sun excite oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere to create the aurora borealis , or northern lights. The same condition creates the aurora australis, or southern lights. This image shows the current extent and position of auroral activity in the northern hemisphere, based on measurements taken during the most recent polar pass of the NOAA POES satellite. The images gives a guide to the possibility that the aurora is located near a given location, activity that may or may not be visible from the surface. Auroral activity is related to the power flux shown in the image, with yellow, orange and red indicating higher levels.
Black areas represent regions where no satellite data was collected.