How the Northern Lights are formed

The Northern Lights are created when charged particles from the Sun travel toward Earth and hit our atmosphere.
These particles are pushed toward the North and South Poles by Earth's magnetic field. When they reach the atmosphere, they collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen. Those collisions create energy in the form of light kind of like a glowing reaction. That's what we see in the sky as the Northern Lights: waves of green, pink, or purple light dancing above the Earth. It's the result of solar energy meeting our planet's magnetic shield.