Dawn of the North

Though more common farther north, the northern lights (aurora borealis) may often be seen from Minnesota.

The term Aurora Borealis means "Dawn of the North"

The light of the northern lights comes from the sun.  As the sun rotates, its magnetic fields twist into knots, then release bursts of energy as solar wind--particles of plasma that hurtle outward and can reach the earth in about 40 hours.  These storms ebb and flow over about an 11-year cycle.  We are currently in a weaker solar cycle.

Southern Lights, as seen from the International Space Station

When the ejected particles reach our atmosphere, they are deflected by the earth's own magnetic field and drawn towards the poles.  Somewhere along the way they collide with molecules and atoms in the atmosphere, releasing their energy as light.  When plasma particles hit oxygen, they produce green or yellow light.  Interactions with nitrogen can release red, violet, or blue light, but colors are also influenced by altitude.  The dazzling light show may be accompanied by sound; the atmospheric collisions can produce crackling noises as they burst into light.


Native Americans have many myths and legends about the northern lights.  Some tribes believed they were spirits, or reflections from the fires of warriors or giants of the North.  The Ojibwe story of the northern lights tells part of the history of their people.  After a great flood ravaged the earth, the world was off-balance and left in darkness.  A race of people (now known as the "Mongols") prayed to God, the Great Manitou, to be saved from the darkness.  The Great Spirit took pity on them and promised to lead them to a "New Land"--but to get there they had to journey through the harsh northern wilderness.  The journey was long and dangerous in the darkness, so the people again prayed for help.  In response the Great Manitou placed giant, mountain-sized ice crystals on the top of the world to reflect the rays of the hidden sun, splitting them into the many colors that form the aurora borealis.  By this light, the people crossed into the new, fertile land and spread across the continent, ancestors of the many tribes of North America.

REFERENCES/CREDITS

Wikipedia links in text for additional information.


Cain, Fraser.  Universe Today. (Jan 16, 2015) What Causes the Northern Lights?  Accessed June 27, 2015.  http://phys.org/news/2015-01-northern.html

First People.  Native American Legends:  A Legend of the Northern Lights.  Accessed June 27, 2015.  http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/LegendOfTheNorthernLights-Ojibwa.html

Space.com.  (Feb 10, 2015)  Aurora Boreais:  What Causes the Northern Lights & Where to See Them.  Accessed June 27, 2015. http://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html

Welker, Glenn.  Indigenouspeople.net. (July 29, 2007).  Legends and Folklore of the Northern Lights.  Accessed June 27, 2015.  http://www.indigenouspeople.net/aurora.htm

PHOTOS
Photos sourced from Wikimedia Commons.  Credit to United States Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Strang and NASA Earth Observatory for photos.