Gold Ounce 2023 Aurora Borealis, Coin from Niue - detailed information

Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.

A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - such as one ounce of gold (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum).

This coloured coin is dedicated to the natural phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis, which occurs in the Northern hemisphere (there is a similar coin for the Aurora Australis which occurs in the South).

The term "aurora" was first used to describe this phenomenon by Galileo Galilei in honor of the Roman goddess of the dawn. There are many myths surrounding the northern aurora borealis. According to Nordic legend, they are interpreted as a connection between the earthly and spiritual realms. From a scientific point of view, the colorful spectacle can be explained by the fact that energy-rich particles of the solar wind interact with the earth's magnetic field, causing fluorescence.