The Northern Lights (also known as aurora borealis) are a sky-spanning light show seen in an oval around the North Pole of the Earth. There is also a southern counterpart around the South Pole called the Southern Lights (or aurora australis).
The aurora are generated when the solar wind affects the Earth’s magnetic field. The disturbance causes particles (mainly electrons and protons) from the solar wind and near-Earth space to collide with the atmosphere in ovals around the magnetic poles. The Northern Lights are rarely seen in the UK, and to see them, you usually have to visit more northern countries like Norway, Finland or Canada.