Photos: Aurora Borealis

The aurora borealis is seen over campers in the snow in Chugach mountain range, outside the town of Valdez, east of Anchorage April 21, 2012.  ( Yuriko Nakao / Reuters )

The aurora borealis is seen from Mile 7 on Beam Road above snow-covered tundras near Nome, Alaska March 10, 2012. A solar storm that shook the Earth’s magnetic field on Thursday spared satellite and power systems as it delivered a glancing blow, although it could still intensify until early Friday, U.S. space weather experts said.   ( Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz / Reuters )

The aurora borealis is seen from Mile 7 on Beam Road above snow-covered tundras near Nome, Alaska March 10, 2012. A solar storm that shook the Earth’s magnetic field on Thursday spared satellite and power systems as it delivered a glancing blow, although it could still intensify until early Friday, U.S. space weather experts said.   (Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz / Reuters )

Image courtesy of NASA shows the Aurora Borealis over the midwest of the United States on January 25, 2012. The photo, which looks north to northeast, was taken from the International Space Station while above south central Nebraska.  ( NASA / Reuters )

A portion of the International Space Station (top) is seen along with a view of the Midwestern United States at night with Aurora Borealis, is seen in this September 29, 2011 NASA handout photograph taken by an Expedition 29 crew member on the International Space Station. The night skies viewed from the space station are illuminated with light from many sources, including artificial light from human settlements with a characteristic yellow tinge and the green light of the Aurora Borealis, seemingly reflected off Earth’s surface -- in Canada -- beneath the aurora.   ( NASA / Reuters )

The Northern Lights are seen above the ash plume of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano in the evening April 22, 2010.   (Lucas Jackson / Reuters )

While docked and onboard the International Space Station, a STS-123 Endeavour crew member captures the glowing green beauty of the Aurora Borealis March 21, 2008. Looking northward across the Gulf of Alaska, over a low pressure area (cloud vortex), the aurora brightens the night sky. This image was taken on March 21, 2008 at 09:08:46 GMT with a 28 mm lens from the nadir point of 47.9 degrees north latitude and 146.8 degreees west longitude.   (NASA / Reuters )