The aurora borealis (also known as the northern lights) is a spectacular light display that can be seen at night in regions near the North Pole (auroras can also be seen near the South Pole). Auroras occur because of charged particles that come from the Sun, these particles sometimes hit the Earth but we are protected by the Earth's magnetic field. However, there are weak spots in the Earth's magnetic field near the polar regions, this is where the charged particles react with particles in the air and create the aurora borealis, an amazing natural phenomenon. This incredible photo of the northern lights was taken near Bear Lake, Alaska.