The Space Shuttle is launched from Florida, where thunderstorms are common. The lightning can harm the electronic devices on the Shuttle. This electricity is generated by the solar wind. The solar wind atoms can also smash into the atmosphere, causing the air to glow in different colours. This glow is called the aurora .
Auroras occur around both the North and South poles.
Here is a picture of the aurora taken from space. In the picture, Earth is the large dark ball, while the aurora is the bright ring of light. The aurora grows bigger and smaller like a jellyfish over just a few minutes, with the brightness of the light rising and falling. You can see aurora from London a few times a year, but the aurora is visible almost every clear night a bit farther north. Fort Churchill, Manitoba is an excellent location to see the aurora and was the site of many rocket launches to study the aurora.