Article: The aurora borealis.

It's winter in Alaska--midnight--nine degrees above zero. And yet, there are people--grown-ups bundled against the cold; children are clothed in scarves, gloves, and fur-lined boots, outside, looking at the sky. Why? It is because the sky is putting on a show for them, a show we call the northern lights. Scientists call it the aurora borealis.

Sometimes the northern lights are soft clouds of white. Sometimes they dance across the sky in streaks of blue and green, yellow and red. What causes the northern lights? Why can they be seen only at night? And why do they change from night to night?

Scientists give us some answers. The Earth is a huge magnet, with ...

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