The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights

The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, begin to flare up with green, yellow and pink hues near the Vedauwoo Recreation Area on June 23 between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo. The Northern Lights are created as a result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere and charged particles released by the sun, according to the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre in Canada. Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding.