Aurora Borealis 'Dancing' over a Marsh in Canada's Northwest Territories

Aurora Borealis 'Dancing' over a Marsh in Canada's Northwest Territories

Photographer John David McKinnon: "Waves of Auroral curtains danced over the peaceful waters of the Foxholes Marsh in Canada's Northwest Territories."

Known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

The Northwest Territories of Canada is bordered by the territories of Nunavut to the east and Yukon to the west, and by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the south; it also touches Manitoba to the southeast at a quadripoint that includes Nunavut and Saskatchewan. The land area of the Northwest Territories is roughly equal to that of France, Portugal, and Spain combined, although its overall area is even larger because of its vast lakes.

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest country by total area with the longest coastline of any country. Its border with the United States is the longest international land border.

Image Credit: John David McKinnon
Location: Foxholes Marsh, Northwest Territories, Canada
Date: Sept. 20, 2026 

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