Aurora Borealis, one of thirty plates illustrative of natural phenomena, etc., Society for Promoting Christian...

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, in which a greenish display of dancing natural light appears above the earth in a clear night sky, is most typically visible during the winter months in Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia. The phenomenon takes its name from the Roman goddess Aurora and the Greek word for the north wind, boreas, and is caused by the entrance of energetic charged particles entering the atmosphere from the magnetosphere. The dynamic ribbons of aurora have mesmerized human beings for centuries, and figure prominently in the spiritual and scientific fascinations of the Cree, the Norse, the Roman philosopher Seneca, and Benjamin Franklin.