My son and I were looking through a National Geographic Magazine where we found pictures of the beautiful Aurora Borealis (also known as the Northern Lights).  My son is quite inquisitive and wanted more information.  Together we went online and found some great resources.  If your kids want an explanation for this marvel, here is what I told my son.

The sun, which is far, far away from us – millions of miles – is where this display begins.  Since the sun is so hot, it causes explosions on itself!  These explosions are giant fire balls, and they can burn for days.  These fireballs are a lot bigger than our Earth, but don’t worry.  Since the sun is so far away, we are safe.

The particles (little pieces) from the explosions will travel through space.  These little pieces are still pretty huge, but they have a long way to go to get to Earth.  Can you believe that they go a million kilometers per hour?  I can’t even imagine that speed.  Not even the fastest race car can go that fast.  The particles travel so quickly that you can’t even see them!

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