Northern Lights from space

This picture was taken from about 150 kilometers above the surface of the earth. You can see the clouds above the ground and ocean and near the horizon you can see the northern lights. These are natural lights that occur in the ionosphere which is about 300 kms above the earth, mostly at northern latitudes. They also occur at the South Pole and can be seen from southern Australia, New Zealand and the end of South America. The Cree people in Northern Canada call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits."