In quest of the northern lights

Marten Bril

Where the action is: North Norway is the ideal location for observing the northern lights, since the so-called aurora oval runs along the coast of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark counties. In the centre of this oval are the Vesterålen islands. Therefore it is entirely natural that the country’s most important land-based northern lights research is done at the northern tip of Andøya, at the rocket launching range and research installation ALOMAR (Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research). More than 50 universities around the world participate in and contribute to this research.

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Northern lights and superstition
For the general public, the scintillating northern lights has traditionally been considered as spectacular and frightening – regardless of what research has revealed. In bygone eras, popular superstition caused people to regard the northern lights as something negative. It was not uncommon that Northerners only a few generations ago saw the fiery northern lights as an ill omen foreboding both lean years and plagues – the more impetuous the light, the worse things would be. Parents would chase the children indoors and advise them to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible. On the other hand, it was common practice to wave white linen at the northern lights if one wanted to intensify the shimmering …

What are the northern lights?
Aurora polaris (polar light) is a physical phenomenon caused when the solar wind is stronger than normal, with great electrical discharges emitting electrically charged particles towards the earth. The particles are electrons and protons that create light as they collide with the gases in the earth’s atmosphere. Polar light is located at a height of between 90 and 180 km above the earth’s surface. The phenomenon can be observed on the night skies in a belt running around the magnetic poles – the northern light as oval – and can be seen by us in the Northern Hemisphere. Polar light manifests itself as billowing light that changes in shape, colour and intensity, from dark blue and hues of green and yellow, to red and orange.

Polar light in the Northern Hemisphere is called aurora borealis (dawning red in the north) or the northern lights, while polar light in the Southern Hemisphere is called aurora australis or the southern lights.

Colourful
The northern lights come in many different colours. The colours reflect the gases in the middle atmosphere. The greenish-yellow colours, which are the most distinct and common for the northern lights, derive from oxygen. The red also comes mainly from oxygen, with the addition of nitrogen. The violet colour we often see at the bottom of the northern lights comes from nitrogen, and the same is true of most of the bluish colour.

Learn and experience
The Northern Lights Centre at Andenes is a popular excursion for pupils, students and teachers from all over the country who participate in various activities arranged by NAROM (www.narom.no).

Northern Ligth

Here is some info about the Northern ligth, some photo and video.

We who live here in North takes Northern ligths for granted. But Yes, it is fantastic.

Aurora polaris (Norwegian: aurorae) is a physical phenomenon that occurs when the solar wind is stronger than normal, with a large electrical discharge that winds electric charged particles toward Earth. The particles are electrons and protons that create light when they collide with gases in Earth's atmosphere. Electrons in gases excites and gives out energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. Polar Lights is located at an altitude of between 90 and over 180 km above the earth. The phenomenon can be observed in the night sky in a belt around the magnetic poles. Aurora emerges as an undulating light that varies in form, color and strength, from dark blue drop green and yellow, to red and orange.

Norway participates actively in international aurora research, including through Andøya Space Center.

The phenomenon has been observed and photographed from ground level as far south in Norway in Kristiansand

Northern Lights Oval is the area in the atmosphere where the Northern Lights occur. It is in this area the charged particles hit Earth's atmosphere and emit energy in collisions with molecules and atoms in the atmosphere. Northern Lights Oval has a different location during the night and day. At night the auroral oval just across northern Norway.

When and where to find the northern lights

For the best chances to see the northern lights, or aurora borealis, head to Northern Norway or Svalbard between late autumn and early spring.

When to see the northern lights

Seeing the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, as they are also known, is a jaw-dropping and mystical moment.

The lights are at their most frequent in late autumn and winter/early spring. Between the autumn equinox and spring equinox (21 September - 21 March), it is dark between 6 pm and 1 am, and you have maximum chances of spotting the lights. However, the weather is also of importance, and September, October and November tend to be wet and snowless in the north.

From December the weather dries up, and there is normally plenty of snow. If you come in December or January, you experience the polar nights with atmospheric evenings and very short days. In February and March the days are longer and you see more of the snow-clad landscapes during daytime, and the evenings still offer maximum chances to spot the northern lights.

No guarantee can be given, though. Some weeks, you are treated to fantastic displays, repeated several times during the evening. Other times, the snow falls densely, or the northern lights simply stay away. Naturally, the longer you stay and the more time you set aside, the better the odds.

Where to see the northern lights

Theoretically, you can see the northern lights all over Norway. However, the best places are above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway or the Svalbard Islands.

The northern lights belt hits Northern Norway in the Lofoten Islands, and follows the coast all the way up to the North Cape. This means that no other place on earth offers better chances of spotting the lights, and one location in this area might be as good as another. In fact, one often observes the same northern lights in the Lofoten as in Tromsø, just from a different angle. The driest weather, giving clear skies, is found inland, statistically providing the best chances, but with strong eastern winds, the coast can be clearer than inland areas.

In order to get full value from the show you should avoid the full moon and places with a lot of light as they make the experience considerably paler. Also remember to wrap up warmly.

In quest of the northern lights

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