The Aurora Borealis, commonly knows as the Northern Lights, illuminates the early morning sky over Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on 8 September 2004. The lights are the result of solar particles colliding with gases in Earth's atmosphere. Early Eskimos and Indians believed different legends about the Northern Lights such as they were the souls of animals dancing in the sky or the souls of fallen enemies trying to rise again. (U.S. Air Force PHOTO by SENIOR AIRMAN Joshua Strang) (Released)