Aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, occur when charged particles collide with the gases in our atmosphere. While they can be seen almost every night in Alaska at high latitudes, March and September are the best times of year, during the equinoxes. According to the Library of Congress, "Some North American Inuit call the aurora aqsarniit ('football players') and say the spirits of the dead are playing football with the head of a walrus. Often legends warn children that the lights might come down and snatch them away."