Northen Lights

bandit · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:17

we are currently in a low period of solar activity, the sun runs on a 22 year cycle i think we are about 10 years from solar maximum, when the lights are the most impressive.

im thinking of a winter trip to iceland to have a look...in 10 years or so off course (if the ozone layer is still there!)

semi-pro waster · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:25

I've watched them while I was in Rovaniemi in Finland (just about on the Arctic Circle with a Santas village on the line), absolutely stunning each and every time you see them. I can't really give you too much advice about when to look out for them but they were pretty common if you were outside any time between about 22:00 and 02:00, some nights were obviously better than others. If you do think about going to Rovaniemi I can point you in the direction of a couple of pubs/nightclubs worth seeing, however direct flights might be a bit expensive and if you go to Helsinki then Rovaniemi the train takes the best part of a full day.

Sirrel Squirrel · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:29

I saw them when I was on a plane coming back from the states, spectacular!

shimy182 · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:35

KaHn said:
Any one here been to see them?

If so where did you go and who did you fly with?

Any info would be great.

Cheers

KaHn

Aurora borealis

iv seen it once when i flew to japan with KLM from amstadam.

although chances are slim.

my dads a frequent flyer and apparently he sees more often. his got photos somewhere. his a photographer..

its been sized down so it cant be used by otheres.

Nazca · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:46

shimy182 said:
snip

That's beautiful. Would really love to see one someday.

AdWright · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:50

I saw them when flying to Japan, whilst in the air over Siberia, I think.

Beautiful!

D.P. · 22 Dec 2006 at 11:50

KaHn said:
Any one here been to see them?

If so where did you go and who did you fly with?

Any info would be great.

Cheers

KaHn

Aurora borealis

You really need to go at the right time. I can't remember the link but there is an excelent page that gives forecasts based on solar activiy. A bit unpredictable, like any forecast, but is more reliable than the weather. If you go at a quiet time then you wont see much. Northern scotland is an excelent place when its happening.

daven1986 · 22 Dec 2006 at 12:59

saw them in iceland a few years back, best time to go is around oct - dec. there are some tour groups who do northern lights sightseeing trips.

daven

yer_averagejoe · 22 Dec 2006 at 13:14

I saw them outside my house a few years ago in livingston near edinburgh :eek:

They were amazing! and as bright as any of the pictures posted here. I just stood and watched them for ages. They really give you a sense of how massive the sky actually is... i cannot stress how great it was to see them

Edit!

if you wanna see the forecast for them, have a dig around the nasa website, they'll give you information on the latest solar winds that are the source of the northern lights and are generally very good predictions. If the sun has recently had a flare, you're in for a very good chance of seeing them

iamdjdz · 22 Dec 2006 at 13:25

KaHn said:
The Scotts

I've seen them on the North Coast of Northern Ireland, much nicer than Scotland...

Nexus · 22 Dec 2006 at 13:51

I saw them when I was living in Whistler in Canada.

It was in February and we spotted it at about 1am when we returned from a club. We sat and watched it until about 4am and I took a few long exposures on my camera.

ArmyofHarmony · 22 Dec 2006 at 13:55

Here's an A1 poster I did on the northern lights

http://www.planetcarl.com/posterpresentation.pdf

Riever · 22 Dec 2006 at 14:10

We get to see them on a regular basis up here in Orkney.
Riever

Vonhelmet · 22 Dec 2006 at 14:53

My brother once saw the Northern lights from the exotic locale of... Hoylake.

Nathan · 22 Dec 2006 at 14:56

Lapland

Wolf11 · 22 Dec 2006 at 15:10

I was only saying to someone yesterday how I would love to see them

,they look amazing ...on my list of things to do/see before I Die

aardvark · 22 Dec 2006 at 15:11

i've never seen them but would really like to go somewhere to see them like kahn.

Rich · 22 Dec 2006 at 15:56

I read that there is a place in Norway that is about as optimal as you can realistically get. You could see Aurora Borealis during the day.....

benneh · 22 Dec 2006 at 15:58

Having never seen them I gotta ask. Do they look like they do in the photos?, because all the photos seem to have massive exposure times (so i'm presuming that they arent so spectacular IRL).

semi-pro waster · 22 Dec 2006 at 16:11

benneh said:
Having never seen them I gotta ask. Do they look like they do in the photos?, because all the photos seem to have massive exposure times (so i'm presuming that they arent so spectacular IRL).

It depends how lucky you are but yes, they do look like in the photos. It can be spectacular one night and dull the next, it all comes down to the conditions that night. When I saw them they were certainly as stunning as in the pictures shimy182 has, possibly more so given that I didn't have a camera at the time.