Shimmering curtains of colored light in the dark skies of the north and South Pole are called which of the following?

• A. Comets
• B. Meteors
• C. Auroras
• D. Clouds

Answer: (C)

Auroras are shimmering curtains of colored light seen near the polar regions. They occur when charged particles from the sun are guided by Earth’s magnetic field into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas molecules. These collisions excite the atoms and cause them to emit light in different colors, often green and red from oxygen and blue-violet from nitrogen. The result is those dynamic, draped light displays that seem to flicker and flow with the solar wind.

Comets are icy bodies with glowing tails, not curtains of light in the sky. Meteors are streaks of light produced when small particles burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. Clouds are water droplets suspended in the air, creating visible masses rather than illuminated curtains from particle collisions.