Donna Stiffler, age 13, of Indianapolis, Ind., for her question:

What causes the aurora borealis?

The glimmering northern lights occur high in the atmosphere, some say between 60 and 600 miles above our heads. These: auroras are brightest at the poles because these regions are near the earth's magnetic poles. It is believed that these magnetic poles attract streaming particles from across space.

Auroras are brightest a few days after a flareup of sunspots. Sunspots are believed to be magnetic storms on the face of the sun. They send out streams of electrons which act like electric current, tittractcd to the magnetic fields of the earth, they behave like electricity in a neon tube. Particles in the high, thin air become agitated and glow with glimmering light