September marks the beginning of aurora borealis season or the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere. With travel restrictions due to the pandemic, there are still several ways to view the mesmerizing dancing lights virtually.
The luminous display is an interaction between charged particles from the sun and Earth's magnetic field. In the north pole, they are called aurora borealis and are called aurora australis in the south pole.
The Sun emits particles into the solar system, especially during solar flares or when a sudden flash increases its brightness. Some of the particles are electrically charged and emit light after colliding with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere.
Colors range from green, yellow, and red due to oxygen. When the charged particles hit nitrogen, blue light emits. Other colors like purple, pink, and white is a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen colliding with the sun's particles.
Although the Northern Lights are most visible at night, they continue to emit during the day. Although they occur all-year-round, they are best viewed as winter approaches since the night sky is darker and clearer.
Icelandic Superstitions
In Iceland, their superstitious beliefs associate movement and the flashing of different colors with anticipation of stormy weather. The arrival of the lights appearing later in the year are also believed to be the sign of snowfall.
One other belief is that red northern lights are a bad omen predicting a time of conflict. Icelanders also believed long ago that a pregnant woman looking at the aurora borealis would give birth to a child that is cross-eyed or has shifty eyes.
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Aurora Hunters
This is Arctic, who will begin sharing on September 11, Visit Arctic Europe II, and aurora hunters will be broadcasting on their Instagram accounts as they travel in the wilderness, remote areas of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The four aurora hunters are Harri Tarvainene, Steffen Fossbakk, Magnus Winbjork, and Per Lundström.
This is Arctic focuses on the Autumn season in the three Nordic countries. It is the best season to explore and hike the various terrains in Arctic Europe. Some of their activities include exploring local culture, fishing, biking, canoeing, kayaking, and trail running.
Visit Arctic Europe II is a project-based in Finland focused on economic and social development in the Nordic nations. Due to the pandemic, most of their recent projects have focused on digital workshops to boost the local economy.
Harri, who is also a professional photographer, describes the Northern Lights as the most magical phenomenon in the world. "I've seen her dance when there shouldn't have been any activity, and I've seen only pitch-black skies when I thought it was 100% active. Northern Lights are something you cannot control—that's why seeing them feels like a gift from above!" Aurora invokes a 'cocktail of emotions' such as joy, gratitude, awe, and respect, he said.
From Canada, Explore will be sharing their side of the show with their high-definition nature camera. The organization also keeps track of the local polar bears, birds, and other wildlife.
READ: NASA's THEMIS Mission Provides First Strong Evidence Explaining Mysteries of Auroras
Check out more news and information on the Northern Lights on Science Times.
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