Aurora Borealis vs. Southern Lights
What is Difference between Aurora Borealis and Southern Lights? Because of beauty, many people consider that the aurora borealis and the southern lights are a kind of miracle of nature. This time we will not discuss whether they are miraculous or not, but we will explain the difference between the two phenomena.
Difference between Aurora Borealis and Southern Lights
Aurora Borealis
The scientific name is “Aurora Borealis”. Needless to say, the name Aurora comes from that of the Roman goddess of dawn. On the other hand, Borealis is a Greek name related to Boreas (the wind of the north).
The last detail mentioned refers to the fact that it is in the north where aurora boreales occur. They are the result of an interaction between cosmic rays, solar wind and magnetoespheric plasma. The aurora borealis can be seen in countries like Canada, Alaska, Northern Russia and Northern Scandinavia.
Lights of the South
As its name implies, this type of auroras occurs in the southern part of our planet. These are called Auroras Australis. There is no difference between this phenomenon and the aurora borealis, except that they occur in different places. Southern lights are visible in Antarctica, South America, New Zealand and Australia.
