Northern Lights Over Iowa

Sometimes all we can do is marvel at the wonderful natural occurrences around us. Make sure to take a moment today and enjoy the beauty that the Iowa outdoors has to offer!

This photo was captured in December of 2006, on a rare occasion when the northern lights were visible above Saylorville Lake, just north of Des Moines.

The aurora borealis, more commonly known as northern lights, is caused by the collision of charged particles with atoms in the atmosphere, causing an impressive color display in the sky. Named for Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek word for wind, the aurora borealis is generally more clearly visible in the northernmost parts of North America.