ALASKA MAY LOSE ITS SPECTACULAR "NORTHERN LIGHTS"

Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting away from North America and toward Siberia at such a clip that Alaska might lose its spectacular Northern Lights in the next fifty years, scientists said Thursday. The shift could mean that Alaska might no longer see the sky lights known as auroras, which might then be more visible in more southerly areas of Siberia and Europe. Auroras occur when charged particles streaming from the sun interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere. Scientists have long known that magnetic poles migrate and in rare cases, swap places. Why this happens is a mystery.