Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Aurora Borealis
There are few sights as mesmerising as an undulating aurora. Although these appear in
many forms - pillars, streaks, wisps and haloes of vibrating light - they're most memor-
able when taking the form of pale curtains wafting on a gentle breeze. Most often, the Arc-
tic aurora appears as a faint green or light rose but, in periods of extreme activity, can
change to yellow or crimson.
The visible aurora borealis, or northern lights, are caused by streams of charged
particles from the sun, called the solar wind, which are directed by the earth's magnetic
field towards the polar regions. Because the field curves downward in a halo surrounding
the magnetic poles, the charged particles are drawn earthward. Their interaction with elec-
trons in nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere releases the energy creating
the visible aurora. During periods of high activity, a single auroral storm can produce a
trillion watts of electricity with a current of 1 million amps.
The Inuit (Eskimos) call the lights
arsarnerit
('to play with a ball'), as they were thought
to be ancestors playing ball with a walrus skull. The Inuit also attach spiritual significance
to the lights, and some believe that they represent the capering of unborn children; some
consider them gifts from the dead to light the long polar nights and others see them as a
storehouse of events, past and future.
The best time of year to catch the northern lights in Norway is from October to March,
although you may also see them as early as August.
Northern Lights: The Science, Myth, and Wonder of Aurora Borealis
by Calvin Hall et al
combines hard science with historical legend and stunning photography to help unlock
one of Norway's great mysteries.
Fata Morgana
If the aurora inspires wonder, the Fata Morgana may prompt a visit to a psychiatrist. The
clear and pure Arctic air ensures that distant features do not appear out of focus. As a res-
ult, depth perception becomes impossible and the world takes on a strangely two-dimen-
sional aspect where distances are indeterminable. Early explorers meticulously charted is-
lands, headlands and mountain ranges that were never seen again. An amusing example of
distance distortion described in
Arctic Dreams
by Barry Lopez, involves a Swedish ex-
