Energised particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million km/h), but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught. As Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the North Pole, the dramatic process transforms into a cinematic atmospheric phenomenon that dazzles and fascinates scientists and skywatchers alike. What happens in an aurora is similar to what happens in the neon lights we see on many business signs. Electricity is used to excite the atoms in the neon gas within the glass tubes of a neon sign. That’s why these signs give off their brilliant colors. The magnificent display of lights works on the same principle – but at a far more vast scale.

You may have guessed it, the above paragraph describes the formation of auroras, more commonly referred to as “Northern Lights” that form in the upper (and lower) latitudes of our planet. They generally occur in a band known as ‘auroral zone’. The auroral zone is 3 to 6 degrees wide in latitude. It lies between 10 and 20 degrees from the geomagnetic poles.

Although these magnificent marvels of nature do not have any tangible environmental significance, they remain the most beautiful phenomena to ever occur in the night sky. 

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Since the early ages, the colour  of auroras remained a mystery and was believed to be work of the supernatural. Now however, even this has been explained. In fact, it has been hypothesised that the Colors of an Aurora depend on the earths gases which are present in the atmosphere. Different gases give different colours. 

As a result, a millennia long question about the origin of auroras and their significance has been answered, yet again, through science. I hope I have taught you something fascinated about an already illustrious phenomenon

Bibliography : https://www.space.com/17683-earth-atmosphere.html

https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.space.com/amp/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html