New Aurora Pictures: First Big Show of 2011

Part of the new year's first big display of northern lights, an aurora borealis appears to dip into the mountains near Tromsø in northernNorwayon January 7.

Theauroras, which continued into the second week of the year, were rooted in strong"gusts"of solar wind—actually charged particles—set in motion bysunactivity in the first week.

Auroras are created when such charged particles flow alongEarth's magnetic field lines. The particles hit the atmosphere at the Poles and excite air molecules, which release the extra energy as light.

(See moreaurora pictures.)

Source