A public science exhibit
The aurora, explained by two agencies.
NASA and NOAA both tell the story of the northern lights — charged particles, Earth's magnetic field, and glowing oxygen and nitrogen. But they emphasize different things. Here's how each agency explains it, side by side.
How an aurora forms
Four steps, from the Sun to the light in the sky. Select a step to reveal its detail.
NASA vs NOAA: two emphases
Both agencies agree on the core physics. The difference is what each chooses to highlight — and how precisely each describes where the glowing electrons come from.
The phenomenon, in context
- Leads with the aurora as a cultural and planetary phenomenon — its Latin name, Indigenous names, and auroras on Jupiter and Saturn.
- Frames auroras as "space weather," the Sun's energy deposited into Earth's magnetic shield and later released.
- Describes "energetic particles from space" colliding with atoms — without specifying that the visible aurora's electrons come from the magnetosphere.
- Uses the neon-sign analogy to explain how collisions produce light.
The mechanism, precisely
- Leads with the operational story — where the auroral oval sits, how it expands during geomagnetic storms, and when and where to look.
- Makes a distinction NASA's pages skip: the bright aurora is made by electrons, while protons cause only a faint, usually invisible glow.
- States the electrons are accelerated out of Earth's magnetosphere, not directly from the solar wind.
- Emphasizes real-world impacts — disruption to satellite communications and radio.
The glowing electrons do not come directly from the solar wind. They are accelerated out of Earth's own magnetosphere and guided down the field lines. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center states this explicitly; NASA's public pages describe the process more loosely.
Read the original sources
Everything on this page is drawn from these three official pages — NASA's overview, NOAA's aurora page, and NOAA's aurora tutorial, which is where the magnetosphere electron-origin nuance is stated. Open them to read each agency in its own words.
Auroras
NASA's overview of auroras, their causes, and where they appear across the solar system.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction CenterAurora
NOAA's technical explanation of the aurora, including the distinction between electron and proton auroras.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction CenterAurora Tutorial
The official tutorial that details the mechanism — including that the auroral electrons are accelerated out of Earth's magnetosphere, not directly from the solar wind.