Aurora borealis

The aurora borealis is a naturally-occurring colored light display that appears in the sky of the northern latitudes of the planet Earth. The effect is produced by the collision of charged particles, mostly electrons but also protons and heavier particles, from the magnetosphere, with atoms and molecules of the Earth's upper atmosphere.

In 1893, Samuel Clemens mentioned Alaska's aurora borealis to a young Jack London, saying that he should follow his dreams and write about them. 

In 2375, Captain Kathryn Janeway compared the kolyan kolyar, an astronomical phenomenon that occurred in the Delta Quadrant, to the aurora borealis.