sciencetech-blog

comments

Each year, tourists brave the harsh winds and freezing temperatures to witness the Northern Lights in all their glory.

But for those who aren't quite as adventurous, Google now lets so-called armchair explorers 'visit' the Aurora Borealis from their living room.

The images were taken in the north of Finland and show lights created by oxygen molecules colliding approximately 60 miles (96km) above Earth.

The images of the Northern Lights were taken in the north of Finland, and now, for the first time, Google is letting armchair explorers discover the area and see the light show from their living room. Aurora is caused when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth's atmosphere. These geomagnetic storms occur when a solar wind or cloud of magnetic field hits the Earth's magnetic field

Selecting an image reveals a panorama of the location, photos of which were taken on top of a frozen lake, and users can take in the view or click the screen to move through the snow.

There are two types of Aurora - Aurora Borealis, which means 'dawn of the north', and Aurora Australis', known as 'dawn of the south.'

They are caused when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth's atmosphere.

These so-called geomagnetic storms occur when a solar wind or cloud of magnetic field hits the Earth's magnetic field.

Usually the charged particles from the sun are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field, but some do manage to enter the atmosphere and collide with gas particles. 

These collisions emit light.

As a result, Aurora is most common around the magnetic poles and is most often seen in areas with little light pollution, such as Finland where the Street View images were taken, and Iceland.

Over the course of January and February last year, this geomagnetic storm and shock wave from a solar wind was so strong and significant, it travelled further south over the UK and could be seen in areas with little cloud cover.

Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the most common. 

Shades of red, blue, and violet have also been reported.

The common, greenish-yellow colour is caused by colliding oxygen molecules approximately 60 miles (96km) above Earth.

Rare, red auroras are produced by oxygen molecules situated much higher up, at around 200 miles (321km).

Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.

Laurian Clemence, from Google told MailOnline: 'The Northern Lights is one of nature's most beautiful and mystical phenomena, only seen by very few in their lifetime.

Selecting an image (right) reveals a panorama of the location, photos of which were taken on top of a frozen lake in Finland (shown on map bottom left). Users can either take in the view or click the screen (top left) to move through the snow

Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green (pictured on Google Street View) and pink are the most common. The common, greenish-yellow colour is caused by colliding oxygen molecules approximately 60 miles (96km) above Earth. Rare, red auroras are produced by oxygen molecules situated much higher up, at around 200 miles (321km). Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora

'Now anyone has a chance to "travel" to this spectacular scene from their own homes, using Street View to explore.' 

The images of the Northern Lights are the latest locations to be added to Google's Street View. 

Previous collections include the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the historic centre of Prague. 

These collections can be viewed on Google's Street View map by clicking the relevant red dot on the map. 

Aurora is most common around the magnetic poles and is most often seen in areas with little light pollution, such as Finland where the Street View images were taken, and Iceland. Photographer Stefan Brenner captured these amazing images of the light show while visiting the Jokulsarlon glacial lake at the edge of Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland

The images of the Northern Lights are the latest locations to be added to Google's Street View. Previous collections include the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the historic centre of Prague. These collections can be viewed on Google's Street View map by clicking the relevant red dot (pictured)