Is nothern lights the same as the golden compass?

No, the Northern Lights and The Golden Compass are not the same. The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a natural light display in the Earth's sky, typically seen in high-latitude regions. The Golden Compass is a fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, which is the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. The title of the book in some countries is "Northern Lights," which is where the confusion may arise, but they are distinct concepts.