EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- The Big Dipper constellation and the aurora borealis, or northern lights, shine above a static A-10 Thunderbolt ll here Sept. 18. 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)