Article: Fire in the sky

It's a shivering-cold night in Alaska. A good night to stay in by the fire. So why are people standing outside in the snow, hooting and hollering?

Follow their gaze upward and you'll see. Ghostly, glowing ribbons of green, white, blue and red are moving across the sky.

It's the best fireworks show in the sky--the northern lights.

Playing With a Walrus Head

The northern lights' shimmering dance has mystified people for thousands of years.

Ancient Eskimos believed the lights were spirits playing ball with a walrus head. Some gold-rush prospectors thought the lights were vapors rising from a hidden mine.

Today's scientists are less dramatic, but more factual. They say the northern lights, also ...

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