In February I was lucky enough to go back up to Arctic Norway back to the Lofoten Islands and also a little further north near Tromso. My aim was to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) as I had missed them on my last trip. Of course, being a natural phenomenon, there is never a guarantee that you will get lucky, but I did. Six times!
Here’s the science bit: The auroras, both surrounding the north magnetic pole (aurora borealis) and south magnetic pole (aurora australis) occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the earth’s atmosphere. Solar winds stream away from the sun at speeds of about 1 million miles per hour. When they reach the earth, some 40 hours after leaving the sun, they follow the lines of magnetic force generated by the earth’s core and flow through the magnetosphere, a teardrop-shaped area of highly charged electrical and magnetic fields. As the electrons enter the earth’s upper atmosphere, they will encounter atoms of oxygen and nitrogen at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles above the earth’s surface. The color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck, and the altitude of the meeting.
Green - oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude, Red - oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude, Blue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude, Purple/violet - nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitude
The first time I saw the Lights I was a bit disappointed, they just looked like a milky cloud that you couldn’t really detect with the eye although the camera did pick it up a bit. I guess that was just warming me up for the main event! It’s difficult to explain the feeling you get when you view such a spectacular display. The above photo was taken on Valentine’s Night by a fjord about an hour from Tromso. The whole event lasted about 2 hours and it seemed to creep all over the open sky, everywhere you looked there was something amazing to see!
Once you’ve seen them you get a little addicted. I spent 4 nights sitting in a car for about 6 or 7 hours each night just waiting and hoping that they would come out again after seeing the above but, sadly, not even a sniff. Knowing, though, that we are heading towards solar maximum, I can almost guarantee I shall be there again next winter sitting in a car in the middle of the night and just praying.
Here’s the science bit: The auroras, both surrounding the north magnetic pole (aurora borealis) and south magnetic pole (aurora australis) occur when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the earth’s atmosphere. Solar winds stream away from the sun at speeds of about 1 million miles per hour. When they reach the earth, some 40 hours after leaving the sun, they follow the lines of magnetic force generated by the earth’s core and flow through the magnetosphere, a teardrop-shaped area of highly charged electrical and magnetic fields. As the electrons enter the earth’s upper atmosphere, they will encounter atoms of oxygen and nitrogen at altitudes from 20 to 200 miles above the earth’s surface. The color of the aurora depends on which atom is struck, and the altitude of the meeting.
Green - oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude, Red - oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude, Blue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude, Purple/violet - nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitude
The first time I saw the Lights I was a bit disappointed, they just looked like a milky cloud that you couldn’t really detect with the eye although the camera did pick it up a bit. I guess that was just warming me up for the main event! It’s difficult to explain the feeling you get when you view such a spectacular display. The above photo was taken on Valentine’s Night by a fjord about an hour from Tromso. The whole event lasted about 2 hours and it seemed to creep all over the open sky, everywhere you looked there was something amazing to see!
Once you’ve seen them you get a little addicted. I spent 4 nights sitting in a car for about 6 or 7 hours each night just waiting and hoping that they would come out again after seeing the above but, sadly, not even a sniff. Knowing, though, that we are heading towards solar maximum, I can almost guarantee I shall be there again next winter sitting in a car in the middle of the night and just praying.
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