When you want to see the Northern Lights
First you have to find out the regions where and when the Aurora borealis - or just on the other half of the globe - the Aurora australis are visible.
When you arrive at the destination of your trip, you have to look for a photographic interesting place before and muster patience, because this wonderful spectacle does not appear in the sky every night. There are apps which inform you when and where you have the best chances to be successful, but nevertheless it`s a question of the weather conditions and ..... luck.
So take care to have a tripod - a good camera and lat not least : to be dressed warmly. Often you have to wait for hours.
Aurora borealis can be strong or just hardly visible, sometimes only a dim light.
Sometimes the Aurora is so bright that it reminds you of a psychedelic lightshow.
Aurora borealis may appear overhead as a "corona" of rays, radiating from a distant and apparent central location, which results from perspective.
Aurora Borealis is a scientific phenomenon that occurs when the solar wind is stronger than usual, with a large electrical discharge, where winds that are electrically charged bring particles toward the earth. Earth’s magnetic field guides the electrons such that the aurora forms two ovals approximately centered at the magnetic poles. Northern lights are the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. The electrons follow the magnetic field of Earth down to the Polar Regions where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere. In these collisions, the electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere - exciting the atoms and molecules to higher energy states. When they come down to lower energy states, they release their energy in the form of light. The aurora typically forms 80 to 500 km above Earth’s surface.
The phenomenon can be observed in the night sky, incapsulated in a belt around the magnetic poles. The Aurora emerges as an undulating light that varies in shape, color and strength comes in several different shapes. Often the auroral forms are made of many tall rays that look much like a curtain made of folds of cloth. During the evening, these rays can form arcs that stretch from horizon to horizon. Late in the evening, near midnight, the arcs often begin to twist and sway, just as if a wind were blowing on the curtains of light. At some point, the arcs may expand to fill the whole sky, moving rapidly and becoming very bright. This is the peak of what is called an auroral substorm. -
( These infos are taken from : SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER )
You will never forget these magic moments, if you are lucky to belong to the less than one percent of the people, who have seen that.
Credits:
all rights on the photos by Anne Getzieh