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The Aurora is a beautiful display of color that is seen at the poles (above 60 degrees North latitude and below 60 degrees South latitude), and on rare occasions, other places on Earth. It is named by the region in which it occurs. The aurora borealis (AKA."Northern Lights") is the aurora that occurs in the northern hemisphere and the aurora australias (AKA."Southern Lights") occurs in the southern hemisphere. Collectively, they are known as the aurora polaris, or the polar lights. These light shows are located high in the atmosphere; anywhere from 40 miles above the earth to over 600 miles above the earth. It is characterized by waving bands of light that occur most often as a green color, but on occasion, red, magenta, yellow, and violet are seen.