Da Do Ron Ron Ron

Picture the scene. You're helping little Tarquin and Guinevere with their homework, and along comes the inevitable. 'Mummy, Daddy, what are the Northern Lights?' or some other such question you really ought to know the answer to, but haven't the foggiest about. Three lines of attack are instantly available to the parent: 1) Bluff. Temporarily effective, but bound to be exposed when Mr Thistlethwaite the geography teacher gives your little Einstein a D minus. 2) Pretend you've gone deaf. Again effective, but more than a little traumatic for the children present. 3) Ask Professor Ron. This is, of course the correct answer, as Prof. Ron will know the answer and get back to you ASAP, sparing any parental blushes. Incidentally, The Northern Lights (aurora borealis to give them their Latin name) are a natural phenomenon that occurs in the Earth's atmosphere at the polar regions. (In the southern hemisphere they are known as aurora australis.) The lights appear as shimmering bands of colour in the night sky - usually green, yellow and pink - and are caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with the Earth's atmosphere. A*s all round.