The Northern Lights by the numbers

 

240:

Nights per year the aurora is visible in the central Northwest Territories

 

50:

Nights per year it’s visible in the High Arctic

 

1:

Nights per year it’s visible in Los Angeles

 

24:

Hours per day that the aurora is active

 

80:

Average elevation, in kilometers, of pale green auroras

 

400:

Average elevation, in kilometers, or bright red auroras

 

200,000:

Volts measured in auroras during intense magnetic storms.

 

3,000,000:

Speed, in kilometers per hour, at which charged solar particles bombard Earth’s atmosphere, setting off the aurora

 

1,500:

Frequency per year that those bursts of particles hit the Earth

 

11:

Number of years between peaks in auroral activity

 

1616:

Year in which Gallileo Galilei coined the name “aurora borealis”

 

1958:

Year in which North America experienced an aurora so massive it was seen in Mexico City

 

(Keen to see the Lights in person? Check out our Aurora adventures.)