Since my childhood, spotting the Northern Lights was my most popular bucket list adventure and I hope someday I would be able to ticket off that from my bucket list. It is the most magical experience one can have in this lifetime.

For some people, they're a sign of good luck. For others, they're the souls of dead ancestors. Humans have been trying to make sense of the mysterious northern lights, or aurora borealis, for millennia- and despite their scientific explanations, most myths accord some kind of deeper meaning to their appearance in the night sky. One of the main reasons why people want to see Aurora is that they're the basis of Inuit legend and superstition. The Northern Lights are a source of amazing inspiration and creativity for the native people in the lands which the Northern Lights can be seen from. The Aurora is rich with spiritual traditions, most involving the spirits of the departed. They believe that souls of the dead dance in the aurora.

Here are 5 interesting facts about our Northern Lights.

1. Aurora is the Roman Goddess of dawn and Boreas is the Greek term for the north wind, hence the name Aurora Borealis.
2. The Northern Lights occur when gas particles in the Earth's atmosphere collide with charged particles from the sun's atmosphere. The electrons and protons travel millions of miles from the sun to the earth on a solar wind.
3. No two light displays are the same, the color and the patterns always differ. It's a common misconception that the Northern Lights only come out at certain times, however, they're always there. It's just the sky conditions that change making them visible.
4. The different colors of the Aurora Borealis occur due to the different types of gas particles. A pale yellow-green is the most common color followed by pink and a mix of red and green. Witnessing pure blue light is very rare as well as pure red which is produced by high-altitude oxygen found at heights of up to 200 miles above the earth.
5. Scandinavia is one of the most popular areas for Northern Lights viewing however they can also be seen in Canada, Iceland, Russia, Scotland, and Alaska. The Auroras are relatively dim to the naked eye and human retinas can limit certain colors. So, if you are planning to view the Northern lights, take a decent camera.

Auroras are such bliss and it is worth taking the risk!

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