Alaskan Aurora Time Lapse

This time lapse of the aurora borealis, or the northern lights, was captured in Great Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska on September 16, 2025. Aurora is caused when the outflow of charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetic shield, often depositing and accumulating energy there. When this energy is finally released, much of it rains down on our atmosphere, resulting in the colorful lights of the aurora. The color of an aurora depends on the type of gas that is hit and where that gas is located in the atmosphere. Green aurora occurs when oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere at roughly between 60 to 120 miles (100-200 km) altitude is excited to different energy levels. This video was captured for an episode of NASA’s Our Alien Earth.