I've seen several and they are underwhelming. Those photos of glowing curtains of color are taken from space, here on earth they just look like dim green glow (brief explanation below). You are not missing anything, I promise you.
Most of the energetic particles from the Sun are deflected around the Earth by the magnetosphere, but some get trapped. Electrons trapped in the Earth's magnetic field (the magnetic mirror effect) are accelerated along the magnetic field toward the Polar Regions and then strike the gases into the upper layer of the atmosphere, called the ionosphere. In the ionosphere, the speeding electrons collide violently with gas atoms. This gives the gas atoms energy, which causes them to release both light and more electrons. In this way, the gases of the ionosphere start to glow producing the spectacle that we know as the auroras.
Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora.
I really hope that anyone reading this doesn't heed this advice. I used to live in a smallish city in Canada where aurora borealis was a common nighttime event and every time I've been back and seen them again I've appreciated and been wowed by them more. The hubble telescope can produce for more detailed and composed pictures of the stars but they are nothing compared to the time I spent star gazing in the Atacama desert in Chile here on Earth. By not seeing the aurora borealis you definitely are missing something. Exactly how much is what you need to see by experiencing it for yourself.
Agreed. I saw the Aurora Borealis once whilst flying from the US to the UK - I happened to wake up and look out the window at just the right time and was absolutely mesmerised, just stared and stared until our heading changed and it was no longer in sight. I thought it was absolutely beautiful.
