My interest in natural phenomena led me to visit the Canadian Northwest Territories in February, 2017 to experience the Aurora Borealis. These curtains of light are a phenomenon caused by the solar wind interacting with the magnetic belts in the uppermost region of the Earth’s ionosphere. The ionization and excitation of atmospheric electrons and protons – also referred to as atmospheric plasma: hydrogen, oxygen, helium, etc – cause them to emit light of varying colors and intensity.

Plasma Scientists refer to aura colors and actions as forbidden transitions because they occur only in the furthest reaches of our atmosphere – they are interactions impossible near Earth’s surface.

– EZ, 2018