Aurora effect is known as the aurora borealis or the northern lights. The former term was coined by Galileo in 1619, from the Roman goddess of the dawn and the Greek name for the north wind. The southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern lights, has features almost identical to the aurora borealis and changes simultaneously with changes in the northern auroral zone. The Aurora Australis is visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia. A geomagnetic storm causes the auroral ovals (north and south) to expand, and bring the aurora to lower latitudes. The
Vastitas Borealis Vastitas Borealis Vastitas Borealis (Latin, 'northern waste' ) is the largest lowland region of Mars. It is in the northerly latitudes of the planet and encircles the northern polar region. Vastitas Borealis is often simply referred to as the northern plains, northern lowlands or the North polar erg of Mars. The plains lie 4–5 km below the mean radius of the planet, and is centered at . To the north lies Planum Boreum. A small part of Vastitas Borealis lies in the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle. The region was named by Eugene Antoniadi, who noted the distinct albedo feature of the