We learn more about the features of Earth - Part 6 The Aurora - Information and questions for kids

Yesterday we learned about the Arctic and in one of the videos where you had to answer questions, they spoke about the polar lights or the 'Aurora'.  Lets learn more about this magnificent natural phenomena.

Aurora was the name given for the Roman goddess of dawn or it means 'sunrise' in Latin.  

Most of the time the Aurora, which is a light display seen at a certain time in the Arctic, are green lights, but there can also be red or blue light.  It is seen best at night, since the colours are not very visible in the light of day.

This natural phenomenon usually occurs in areas known as the 'auroral zone' near the poles of the Arctoc in the north and Antarctic in the south.  The effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the Northern Lights) in Northern hemisphere latitudes.  In Southern hemisphere latitudes the effect is known as the aurora australis (or the Southern Lights).

This light show is caused by charged particles that bump into one another.

Auroras do not only occur here on Earth, but also on other planets in space, such as Jupiter, Neptune and Mars.  The Aurora looks like 'curtains' folding over each other and constantly moving.

Even thought these lights can be scientifically explained, there are many legends that are told about this.  Lets have a look at such a legend and answer the questions.

1. Which animals lost their way?
2. Who helped them?
3. What did he say?
4. What did the small salmon wanted to know?
5. How did the bear answer this?
6. What did the salmon see when they looked up and what did it remind them of?
7. What happened when they got closer to their destination?
8. Where did they want to swim?
9. How could they help the salmon that were still in the dark?
10. What happened to the salmon when they dove into the sky?