The Northern Light (Aurora Borealis), Tromso, Norway

Welcome to the artic cirlce in Northern Norway, such a great place to watch the phenomenon of the northern light or famous as Aurora Borealis. Aurora Borealis named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. 

Aurora In Tromso Blue Night Sky

 An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae) are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring. Northern lights are also called by their scientific name, aurora borealis, and southern lights are called aurora australis., caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere. The diffuse aurora is a featureless glow in the sky which may not be visible to the naked eye even on a dark night and defines the extent of the auroral zone. The discrete aurora are sharply defined features within the diffuse aurora which vary in brightness from just barely visible to the naked eye to bright enough to read a newspaper at night. Discrete aurorae are usually observed only in the night sky because they are not as bright as the sunlit sky. Aurorae occur occasionally poleward of the auroral zone as diffuse patches or arcs (polar cap arcs) which are generally invisible to the naked eye.

Red and Green Aurora Light

 The lights are at their most frequent can be seen in late autumn and winter/early spring. At this period the lights become the most attractive show in the sky for a long night.  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. So you still have  a chance to see this beautifull light because spring equinox will be ended in 21 march.

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.

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

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.

Warm light in a very warm night

 To get more sensation about this beautifull sky light, dont you ever try to leave your camera at house. Bring it and make it usefull. Images of auroras are significantly more common today due to the rise of use of digital cameras that have high enough sensitivities. Film and digital exposure to auroral displays is fraught with difficulties, particularly if faithfulness of reproduction is an objective. Due to the different spectral energy present, and changing dynamically throughout the exposure, the results are somewhat unpredictable. Different layers of the film emulsion respond differently to lower light levels, and choice of film can be very important. Longer exposures aggregate the rapidly changing energy and often blanket the dynamic attribute of a display. Higher sensitivity creates issues with graininess.

Aurora is an unpredictable lady, and you never know when she will decide to turn up. This diva keeps you waiting, so whenever you go hunting for the northern lights above the Arctic Circle, make sure you set aside the whole evening. Northern lights worshippers do everything from cross-country skiing to building snowmen in order to keep warm and entertained while outside.

When dreaming about seeing the northern lights, you must remember that you are at the complete mercy of nature. The northern lights love to play hide and seek. Observing the aurora borealis is often a tug of war between your patience and the aurora itself. Stay in the northern lights area at least a week, preferably two, and you will be rewarded - unless local weather suddenly decides to obstruct your view with clouds.

Each appearance of the northern lights is unique. Often you see three green bands across the night sky. Or the lights come as flickering curtains or rolling smoke. The colour is a luminous green, often with a hint of pink along the edge, and occasionally with a deep violet centre. The colour palette seems to come from the 1980s.

If there is a lot of activity up there, the northern lights explode for a minute or two in a corona. The next minute it is all over, and you ask yourself whether this was real or just an Arctic fata morgana.

Such a heaven light in the world

 How To See The Aurora Borealis

To see aurora borealis you should visit Tromso of course. If you plan to visit by plane, it is very recommended you use Norwegian Air Shuttle. Norwegian Air Shuttle is the third largest low-cost airline in Europe and operates 250 routes to 95 destinations. Their route portfolio stretches throughout Scandinavia, across Europe, to North Africa and the Middle East. But i dont want to be a marketer. You can also use SAS, Wideroe and more than 400 airlenes ready to serve you.

You will arive in Tromso airport. Tromsø Airport Langnes is a modern, well-functioning airport. There are more than 10 daily flights from Tromsø to Oslo, and the flying time is less than two hours. There are also direct flights to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk in Russia as well as Stockholm, Sweden, during the summer.   

Tromsø lies north of the Scandinavian rail network, but the stations in Narvik and Fauske can be reached by long-distance buses all year-round. The station in Rovaniemi, Finland, can also be reached by bus in summer. From Oslo, there is a 30-hour train/bus connection to Tromsø. The travelling time from Stockholm through Sweden is around 24 hours. There is also a 24-hour bus/train connection from Helsinki in Finland. 

Tromso, Tremendous City

 The famous Hurtigruten (The Norwegian Coastal Voyage) sails from Bergen, via Trondheim and Bodø, to Tromsø. The ship calls at Tromsø twice a day - northbound at 14:30 and southbound at 23:30.

You can also drive your own car. A 1,600-kilometre long highway (E6), which remains open all year, connects Tromsø with Oslo. Driving time is approximately 30 hours.

Posted in: Norway