Aurora Borealis (Typical Curtain)

The shimmering curtains of light dancing in polar skies/Nature & Natural Wonders

An aurora borealis (northern lights) display typically consists of luminous curtains, arcs, and bands of light stretching across the sky at altitudes of 80-300 km above Earth's surface. A single auroral curtain can extend 1,000+ km horizontally while being remarkably thin, only about 1-10 km in the direction perpendicular to the curtain. The green color (most common) comes from oxygen atoms at about 120 km altitude, while red and purple hues come from higher-altitude oxygen and nitrogen. Auroras occur when charged particles from the solar wind interact with atmospheric gases.