You can use both start and begin for an activity. "Begin" is more formal than "start":

I started playing the piano when I was 8 years old.

What time does the meeting start?

He's beginning to read more advanced books in English.

We left the park when it began to rain.

When you turn on a car or vehicle, use "start":

I had to call a mechanic because my car wouldn't start.

In general, begin is used for more formal and more abstract ideas:

Scientists are studying how life began on earth.

World War II began in 1939.

Stellar Photos Of Earth Taken From Space

Northern Europe with Northern Lights in the distance

The Northern Lights are an occurrence in the northern areas of the polar region or northern Europe. Northern Europe, geographically, comprises of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, the Faroe Island, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Greenland, and the British Isles. They frequently occur in a region of 2500 km radius centred on the magnetic north pole. This aurora or northern light zone extends all over the northern Scandinavian islands, though the occurrence is more pronounced in the coasts of Norway, and with mild winter climate and easy accessibility, north Norway has become an attractive tourist destination for individuals keen to observe this atmospheric miracle.