The aurora is a spectacular natural light display occurring in a planetary atmosphere, resulting from the interaction of charged particles from solar wind with a planet's magnetosphere. When solar particles, primarily electrons and protons, reach the upper atmosphere, they are channeled along magnetic field lines toward the poles. These charged particles collide with atmospheric gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen. The collision excites the electrons of these atoms and molecules, and as they return to their stable ground state, they release the excess energy in the form of photons, producing the characteristic glowing curtain of light. The specific colors, shapes, and intensity of the visible aurora are dependent on the altitude of the interaction and the type of atmospheric gas being excited.