美国有线新闻 CNN 拉普兰上演炫目极光秀（在线收听）

The region known as Lapland includes a part of which of these nations? Greenland, Finland, Iceland or Scotland? Part of Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland are located in Lapland.

以下哪个国家的部分地区位于拉普兰？格陵兰、芬兰、冰岛还是苏格兰？俄罗斯、挪威、瑞典和芬兰的部分地区位于拉普兰。

And it's in Lapland that an extraordinarily light show was recently visible, courtesy of mother nature. The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights twisted, danced and glowed in hues of green. Though the phenomenon can be seen at any time of the year, late winter or early spring during the overnight hours is said to be the best time to see them here. Besides being really "purrdy" to look at, there is some science behind these wondrous waves.

近日，因大自然母亲的恩赐，一场无与伦比的灯光秀在拉普兰上演。北极光在绿色的色调中旋转、舞动、闪耀。虽然这种现象在一年中任何时候都可以看到，但据说晚冬或初春的夜间时段是在这里观赏北极光的最佳时间。除了看起来很炫外，这些奇妙的波浪背后还有一些科学原理。

JENNIFER GRAY: Described as one of Earth's greatest light shows, an aurora is one of the most fascinating and beautiful naturally-occurring phenomena. You might know it as the Northern Lights, but its technically called the Aurora Borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and the Aurora Australia or Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere. This phenomenon occurs above the magnetic poles in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

詹妮弗·格雷：极光被称为地球上最伟大的灯光秀之一，是最迷人、最美丽的自然现象之一。你可能称这是北极光，不过严格来说，在北半球被称为北极光，在南半球被称为南极光。这种现象发生在南北半球的磁极上空。

They form when gases, particles in the Earth's atmosphere collide with charged particles released from the sun. Electrons and protons from the sun are blown toward the Earth by the solar wind.

当地球大气层中的气体和粒子与太阳释放的带电粒子碰撞时，就会形成极光。来自太阳的电子和质子被太阳风吹向地球。

As these are carried towards Earth, most of them are deflected by Earth's magnetic field. However, the magnetic field is weaker at the poles, allowing some of the particles to funnel into the Earth's atmosphere. The vibrant colors produced are determined by the type of gases that are colliding. The result is a brilliant display of the common green and yellow, less common blue and violet, even rare reds painting the night sky in ribbons, arcs or shooting rays.

当它们被带向地球时，它们中的大多数会被地球的磁场所偏转。然而，磁极处的磁场较弱，使得部分粒子集中在地球大气层。所产生的鲜艳颜色由碰撞气体的类型决定。结果是产生常见的绿色和黄色、不太常见的蓝色和紫色，甚至是罕见的红色，在夜空中描绘出彩带、弧线或射线。

Oxygen produces green and red light while nitrogen gives off blue and purple. The best time of year to view the light show is during the winter months when the nights are longer, under a cloud-free sky away from light pollution.

氧气产生绿色和红色的光，而氮气则发出蓝色和紫色的光。一年中观赏极光的最佳时间是冬季，那时夜晚更长，天空无云，也没有其他光污染。