Aurora Borealis May 10 2024. Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around earth’s poles, known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) and southern lights (aurora australis). Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around earth's poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis.
They are most often seen in higher latitudes closer to the north pole. The northern lights — also known as aurora borealis — usually don’t reach that far south.