Used with
permission of Maiken Naylor, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA,
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/exhibits/stamps
The auroras near the north and south magnetic poles, bright pulsating bands in the night sky at altitudes ranging from 70 to 300 km, are due to particles originating from the sun, which then collide with atmospheric atoms, causing them to emit light. The Aurora Australis and Antarctica are shown on this stamp from 1965, commemorating a Japanese scientific expedition.