History Main / WintryAuroralSky

* Towards the end of ''WesternAnimtion/{{Klaus}}'', we see Jesper and Klaus on a steamboat delivering presents to further locations. Behind them, the sky shows an aurora borealis.

* Towards the end of ''WesternAnimtion/Klaus2019'', we see Jesper and Klaus on a steamboat delivering presents to further locations. Behind them, the sky shows an aurora borealis.

An aurora borealis -- or australis in the Southern hemisphere -- is a phenomenon occurring near the poles of the Earth when particles coming from the sun (known as the solar wind) get aspired by the planet's magnetic field, whose poles are conveniently almost at the same place as the Earth's rotation poles. This creates magnificent and breathtaking light shows that colour and illuminate the polar skies. Auroras are predominantly green, but they are known to come in other colours as well.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

An aurora borealis -- or australis in the Southern hemisphere -- is a phenomenon occurring near the poles of the Earth when particles coming from the sun (known as the solar wind) get aspired by the planet's magnetic field, whose poles are conveniently almost at the same place as the Earth's rotation poles. This creates magnificent and breathtaking light-shows that colour and illuminate the polar skies. Auroras are predominantly green, but they are known to come in other colours as well.

Due to longterm association, auroras have become symbolic of frigid environments and a staple background element in SlippySlideyIceWorld settings, regardless of their geographical location. They are excellent SceneryPorn and provide a break from the white and blue landscape. If the aurora is particularly important to the fiction's aesthetics, its events will take place at night to make the aurora stand out.

* ''Anime/DoraemonGreatAdventureInTheAntarcticKachiKochi'' have the gang visiting the Antarctic and after a frenetic sled chase (with robot dogs), stopping to enjoy the ''aurora borealis'' in the skies.

* ''Literature/HokuouKizokuToMoukinzumaNoYukiguniKarigurashi'': Ritzhardt lives the arctic territory of Revontulet, which is named after the [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revontulet aurora borealis]]. As a result, the aurora borealis itself makes an appearance at least twice; the first is a part of his internal musing on what his people and his land are like, in reference to the "boundless sky". The second is when Ritzhardt brings Sieglinde with him to Revontulet itself, since the aurora reveals itself just before they arrive at Ritzhardt's home. Each time, the manga [[SceneryPorn dedicates a whole page to the skies above]].

* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': Scrooge [=McDuck=] made his initial fortune during the Klondike Gold Rush. During the nighttimes, Scrooge is often shown admiring the aurora borealis, or to underscore moodier scenes.

* ''Fanfic/IHopeYourePreparedForAnUnforgettableWedding'': One of the reasons Gary Chalmers decides to have he and Seymour Skinner's honeymoon in ''Alaska'' of all places is so the two of them can finally see the aurora borealis together. (The reason why he wants to see it [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2122ShortFilmsAboutSpringfield should be quite obvious]].) And in the epilogue, Chalmers brings Skinner outside at night to see it, and the two of them watch the northern lights while cuddling up to each other.

* In the mission ''Broken Arrows'' in ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'', an aurora can be seen glittering high over the wintery landscape as you shoot down run away cruise missiles.
* In ''VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns'', the [[TheManInTheMoon moon]] in the skies above the glacial Tundraful smokes a cigarette in a long-holder, and the resulting smoke results in green auroras lacing through the night sky.

* Somehow, auroras are seen above the top of Mount Fimbulventr from in ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2''. Granted, the area is cold, if the blizzard occuring outside is to be believed, but the TravelMontage at the beginning of the game reveals that Mount Fimbulventr is located somewhere in ''Kazakhstan''. Then again, they add an undeniable and fitting mystical flair to the FinalBoss arena.

** ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' heavily features northern lights in the icy White Wafers. They are bright enought to occur in broad daylight and are very colourful (a mix of red, violet, green and blue). One of the level features them so prominently that its music track is actually named "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7v-fNrzhms Aurora Area]]".

** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterPortable3rd'': In Polar Field, the night sky shows a beautiful pattern of auroral lights leaning to the horizon, and colored green, purple and pink. In later games where this area returns, the trope is averted, as it's set during day instead of night, and the sky is deep gray due to the snowstorm.
** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'': The Frozen Seaway features auroral lights colored green, blue, purple and pink; they're visible from Areas 2, 3, 7 and 9. Notably, they're seen even though this location is always visited during day.

* One RandomEvent in ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'' is an aurora in the night sky, though it can happen regardless of latitude since there's no guarantee the planet works like Earth. Due to the top-down perspective you can't see it beyond shimmering lights on the ground, but any colonists awake to witness it get a little mood buff from the display.

* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'': When Fichina's planetary wheather is stabilized once again during the fourth mission, the snowfall ends and the night sky clears up, revealing a beautiful green auroral belt. Unfortunately, Fox won't get to enjoy it, as by that point the Aparoids begin to counterattack and he has to retaliate from Falco's Arwing (and later from his).

** Most levels in the [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Frosted Glacier]] in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'' feature exquisite, multicolored northern lights in their nighty skies. Granted, the Frosted Glacier is one of the northernmost locations on the map, but it is on the same longitude than [[ShiftingSandLand Layer-Cake Desert]] and Peach's Castle, and therefore most certainly not polar. Video game geography at its best.

** The aptly-named Snowball Park in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' has green auroras in its night sky as well.

** In the [=3DS=] remake of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'', the top outdoors floors in Joke's End, the frozen dungeon, shows a night sky laced with multicoloured auroras in the background.

*** ''VideoGame/MarioParty6'': The minigame Snow Whirled takes place in a snowy ramp where each character has to perform spin tricks with their snowboards (by pressing buttons in a specific order) to earn score points. During night, the sky shows a beautiful auroral pattern colored pink, green and a small stripe of orange and another of blue. Averted during day, when the sky only shows a few clouds.

* The Winter Interior in ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'' looks like a nightly frozen fjord, and features, along every other possible arctic cliché, shimmering auroras. ''Indoors''.
* ''VideoGame/WolfQuest Anniversary Edition:'' The aurora borealis can be seen sometimes at night. It actually can be visible in Yellowstone in real-life on a clear sky, but only rarely and faintly.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "22 Short Films About Springfield," When Skinner's kitchen catches fire, he tries to pass off the light from the flames as the aurora borealis. Chalmers believes him, despite the fact that it's the middle of the day, presumably not during winter, they're in a geographic region nowhere near the arctic, and the supposed northern lights are only appearing indoors in Skinner's kitchen.

----

Auroras do actually make sound, despite what the trope quote suggests. Not everyone can hear it unassisted, though, and it depends on a particular aurora how strong the sound is and what it mostly resembles. It's an eerie combination of radio static, pieces of glass colliding, chattering or chirping, and whooshing. Fiction rarely incorporates this.

* In the mission ''Broken Arrows'' in ''VideoGame/AceCombat4'', an aurora can be seen glittering high over the wintery landscape as you shoot down run away cruise missiles.

-->-- ''Literature/SoldierDogs: Battle of The Bulge''

Auroras do actually make sound, despite what the trope quote suggests. Not everyone can hear it unassisted though and it depends on a particular aurora how strong the sound is and what it mostly resembles. It's an eerie combination of radio static, pieces of glass colliding, chattering or chirping, and whooshing. Fiction rarely incorporates this.

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'':
** The first episode has the kids spot an aurora in the sky. They note this as being bizarre since not only is it Summer, they are nowhere near the high latitude needed for an aurora to occur. It's a product of the Digital World interfering with the real world. Then, the Digivices come out of the aurora.
** Gomamon's evolution to Ikkakumon features an aurora, fitting for a walrus Digimon associated with ice. The opening credits also have Ikkakumon swimming in a frigid ocean while an aurora shines overhead.
* ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' has an invoked example. The first time [[AnIcePerson Korikakumon]] uses his [[BladeSpam Avalanche Axes]] attack, a wintry landscape with an unnaturally dense and colorful aurora appears behind him seemingly for no other reason than elemental symbolism.
* In ''Anime/DigimonFusion'', the Lake Zone has an aurora in the shape of a bar code as part of its AlienSky. The wintry part comes in when the local Bagra Army goons start hurling ice everywhere, ultimately freezing about half of the normally temperate landscape solid.

* In ''Literature/HokuouKizokuToMoukinzumaNoYukiguniKarigurashi'', Ritzhardt lives the arctic territory of Revontulet, which is named after the [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revontulet aurora borealis]]. As a result, the aurora borealis itself makes an appearance at least twice; the first is a part of his internal musing on what his people and his land are like, in reference to the "boundless sky". The second is when Ritzhardt brings Sieglinde with him to Revontulet itself, since the aurora reveals itself just before they arrive at Ritzhardt's home. Each time, the manga [[SceneryPorn dedicates a whole page to the skies above]].

* In episode 1 of ''Animation/PleasantGoatFunClass: Travel Around the World'', a ChristmasEpisode, the gang rides in Santa's sleigh when they meet him in Finland, and Santa explains the Northern Lights to them as they see them during the ride.

* As in the [[VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureEyesOfHeaven game]] it's based on, Rocky Mountain Village is depicted as this in ''Fanfic/JonathanJoestarTheFirstJoJo.''
* In ''Fanfic/IHopeYourePreparedForAnUnforgettableWedding'', one of the reasons Gary Chalmers decides to have he and Seymour Skinner's honeymoon in ''Alaska'' of all places is so the two of them can finally see the aurora borealis together. (The reason why he wants to see it [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2122ShortFilmsAboutSpringfield should be quite obvious]].) And in the epilogue, Chalmers brings Skinner outside at night to see it, and the two of them watch the northern lights while cuddling up to each other.
* Averted in ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity''; one story revolves around a once-a-decade atmospheric phenomenon, but is set in the summer.

* The northern lights form the backdrop for many scenes in ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and later become a plot point.
* There are the green and purple hues of the Northern Lights in several of the night-time scenes in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''. The first scene shows men harvesting ice while singing about its power and ends with a shot of the lights, which is used as a transition to a scene where little Anna wakes Elsa up, not being able to sleep due to them. That in turn sets up a scene where the two decide to play together with Elsa's ice magic. Later, the lights appear in a scene while Anna's starting to freeze to death, and appear to be something of an EmpathicEnvironment as they illuminate the trolls' comedic "Fixer-Upper" song, then vanish at the moment Anna's condition suddenly worsens in a MoodWhiplash.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'', the Aurora Borealis appears as the titular train crosses the Arctic Circle.

* In ''Film/EightBelow'', the dogs spend some time playing around beneath the southern lights. [[spoiler:It tragically leads to the death of one of the team when he plummets down a steep cliffside.]]
* In ''Film/TheCallOfTheWild2020'', the North lights can be seen frequently because it takes place in Alaska.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' often features these in clear and partly cloudy night skies. You can even [[WeatherManipulation induce them]] if you know the right [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]] for it.

* ''VideoGame/SubnauticaBelowZero'', set in 4546B's north polar zone, can have visible auroras at night if you happen to be on or near the water's surface, or tromping around the ice cap.

-->The Northern Lights have seen queer sights//
But the queerest they ever did see//
Was the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge//