WHAT ARE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically
charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are
seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They
are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south..
Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the
most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported.
The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to
streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an
eerie glow.
Essentially the northern lights are formed by collisions between gaseous particles
in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's
atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are
colliding. The most common aurora colour, a pale yellowish-green, is produced
by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the Earth.
All-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200
miles. Nitrogen produces blue or purplish-red aurora. The lights of the aurora
generally extend from 80 kilometres (50 miles) to as high as 640 kilometres (400
miles) above the Earth's surface.

WHAT CAUSES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous
particles in the Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's
atmosphere. Variations in colour are due to the type of gas particles that are
colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by
oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras
are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen
produces blue or purplish-red aurora.

The connection between the Northern Lights and sunspot activity has been
suspected since about 1880. Thanks to research conducted since the 1950's, we
now know that electrons and protons from the sun are blown towards the earth
on the 'solar wind'. (Note: 1957-58 was International Geophysical Year and the
atmosphere was studied extensively with balloons, radar, rockets and satellites.
Rocket research is still conducted by scientists at Poker Flats, a facility under the
direction of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks - see web
page http://www.gi.alaska.edu/

The temperature above the surface of the sun is millions of degrees Celsius. At
this temperature, collisions between gas molecules are frequent and explosive.
Free electrons and protons are thrown from the sun's atmosphere by the rotation
of the sun and escape through holes in the magnetic field. Blown towards the
earth by the solar wind, the charged particles are largely deflected by the earth's
magnetic field. However, the earth's magnetic field is weaker at either pole and
therefore some particles enter the earth's atmosphere and collide with gas
particles. These collisions emit light that we perceive as the dancing lights of the
north (and the south).

The lights of the Aurora generally extend from 80 kilometres (50 miles) to as high
as 640 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth's surface.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

Northern Lights can be seen in the northern or southern hemisphere, in an
irregularly shaped oval centred over each magnetic pole. The lights are known as
'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south. Scientists have
learned that in most instances northern and southern auroras are mirror-like
images that occur at the same time, with similar shapes and colors.

Because the phenomena occurs near the magnetic poles, northern lights have
been seen as far south as New Orleans in the western hemisphere, while similar
locations in the east never experience the mysterious lights. However the best
places to watch the lights (in North America) are in the northwestern parts of
Canada, particularly the Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Alaska.
Auroral displays can also be seen over the southern tip of Greenland and
Iceland, the northern coast of Norway and over the coastal waters north of
Siberia. Southern auroras are not often seen as they are concentrated in a ring
around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean.

Areas that are not subject to 'light pollution' are the best places to watch for the
lights. Areas in the north, in smaller communities, tend to be best.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO WATCH FOR AURORAL DISPLAYS?

Researchers have also discovered that auroral activity is cyclic, peaking roughly
every 11 years. The next peak period is 2013.
Winter in the north is generally a good season to view lights. The long periods of
darkness and the frequency of clear nights provide many good opportunities to
watch the auroral displays. Usually the best time of night (on clear nights) to
watch for auroral displays is local midnight (adjust for differences caused by
daylight savings time). http://www.gi.alaska.edu/

LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTS

'Aurora borealis', the lights of the northern hemisphere, means 'dawn of the
north'. 'Aurora australis' means 'dawn of the south'. In Roman myths, Aurora was
the goddess of the dawn. \par Many cultural groups have legends about the
lights. In medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays were seen as
harbingers of war or famine. The Maori of New Zealand shared a belief with
many northern people of Europe and North America that the lights were
reflections from torches or campfires.

The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the
location of manabai'wok (giants) who were the spirits of great hunters and
fishermen. The Inuit of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the
animals they hunted: the seals, salmon, deer and beluga whales. Other
aboriginal peoples believed that the lights were the spirits of their people.

When is the best time to see the northern lights?

The sun is the main reason we can observe the lights. However, there are other
prerequisites that you should consider before starting ''the hunt''. Researchers
have discovered that the sun has an eleven year cycle when number of sunspots
that are visible on the sun increase. During the peak of this cycle, solar flares are
released more frequently, therefore increasing the chance to observe aurora.
Last peak was in 2013 and currently we are in the beginning of a new cycle. But
do not despair, activity might be lower, but it's still there.
As you can observe in these NASA images, sun is constantly releasing high
amounts of energy seen in as bright spots. So, the next challenge is to predict
when this energy will reach Earth's atmosphere. There are number of web pages
that offer predictions, but there's a problem: we have yet to find a way to correctly
predict the time interval between the solar flare and its collision with
Earth's atmosphere. Our current time window is something around 24 hours. So,
even when we observe a sudden increase in solar activity, our prediction of when
it will reach the Earth can be off by quite a margin. In light of all this, my
suggestion is that while it's recommended to use these predictions, you can not
completely rely on them.
Few sites that provide predictions:
1. Space weather prediction centre.
2. Service Aurora.
3. Icelandic northern lights forecast.
Due to the fact that these processes happen high in the atmosphere, you need
clear skies to observe the northern lights. So, it's important to check cloud cover
over the area you are in. Also, take into an account that in Iceland you mostly
observe lights towards the north. However, that´s not always the case and they
can appear right above you or even towards the south.
Northern lights are visible during the dark part of the day. It would be logical to
assume that they also are there during the daylight (just like stars), we just don't
see them. However, some scientists argue that due to high conductivity during
the daylight northern lights are present predominantly in darkness, most often
between sunset and midnight, and mainly during the spring, winter, and fall
months of short days and long nights.
From my experience in Iceland, you can start to observe northern lights when the
night skies are dark enough to observe stars. So, from around end of August up
until end of April. And even though most of the sources state that the best time to
observe them are midnight, my experience is that they can appear right after
sunset and can be seen just before sunrise.
Generally northern lights appear in short bursts, with changing intensity.
Sometimes they can be active only minutes, sometime they last for hours. There
is a useful chart that measures aurora activity in Iceland. In this chartyou can see
when, in the last 24 hours, activity was recorded in the earth's magnetic field.
Composition
This is more of a discussion about certain preferences. What people like to see in
their picture and so forth. However, keep in mind that in this day and age there
are millions of pictures of northern lights. To make your picture more unique, you
should always try to aim to incorporate an interesting subject in your foreground.
Just a picture of aurora doesn't cut it anymore. On a completely dark night it
might be hard to take a properly exposed picture of anything other than the sky.
And so here comes the moon to save the day again. I have found that the
moonlight can be bright enough to illuminate the whole scene and yet allow you
to take properly exposed aurora. Results can be stunning and otherworldly.
The aurora borealis – otherwise known as the northern lights – is a vivid
demonstration of the Earth's magnetic field interacting with charged particles
from the sun. It's also beautiful, and worth braving a cold night out when visiting
the high northern (or southern) latitudes.
Auroras are centered on the Earth's magnetic poles, visible in a roughly circular
region around them. Since the magnetic and geographic poles aren't the same,
sometimes the auroras are visible farther south than one might expect, while in
other places it's farther northIn the Northern Hemisphere, the auroral zone runs
along the northern coast of Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the southern tip of
Greenland and northern Canada and Alaska. Auroras are visible south of the
zone, but they are less likely to occur the farther away you go. The Southern
Hemisphere auroral zone is mostly over Antarctica, or the Southern Ocean. To
see the southern lights (or aurora australis), you have to go to Tasmania, and
there are occasional sightings in southern Argentina or the Falklands – but those
are rare.

Here are some dazzling facts about these light shows.

1. Different ions make different colors
Aurora displays are created when protons and electrons stream out from the
solar surface and slam into the Earth's magnetic field. Since the particles are
charged they move in spirals along the magnetic field lines, the protons in one
direction and the electrons in the other. Those particles in turn hit the
atmosphere. Since they follow the magnetic field lines, most of them enter the
atmospheric gases in a ring around the magnetic poles, where the magnetic field
lines come together.
The air is made up largely of nitrogen and oxygen atoms, with oxygen becoming
a bigger component at the altitudes auroras happen – starting about 60 miles up
and going all the way up to 600 miles. When the charged particles hit them, they
gain energy. Eventually they relax, giving up the energy and releasing photons of
specific wavelengths. Oxygen atoms emit green and sometimes red light, while
nitrogen is more orange or red.

2. They are visible from space

Brilliant northern lights dance above Earth as seen in this still from a video shot
by astronauts on the International Space Station in 2012.
Satellites can take pictures of the aurora from Earth's orbit — and the images
they get are pretty striking. In fact, auroras are bright enough that they show up
strongly on the nightside of the Earth even if one were looking at them from
another planet.
The International Space Station's orbit is inclined enough that it even plows
through the heavenly lights. Most of the time nobody notices, as the density of
charged particles is so low. Rodney Viereck, director of the Space Weather
Prediction Test Bed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA),said the only time it matters is during particularly intense solar storms,
when radiation levels are high. At that point all the astronauts have to do is move
to a more protected area of the station. (Ironically, intense solar storms can
actually reducethe amount of radiation around the space station, because of the
interactions of charged particles with the Earth's magnetic field). Meanwhile, ISS
astronauts can snap gorgeous auroral panoramas.

3. Other planets have them

Powerful X-ray auroras observed at the poles on Jupiter.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SwRI/R.Gladstone et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/Hubble
Heritage (AURA/STScI)
Voyagers 1 and 2 were the first probes to bring back pictures of auroras on
Jupiter and Saturn, and later Uranus and Neptune. Since then, the Hubble Space
Telescope has taken pictures of them as well. Auroras on either Jupiter or Saturn
are much larger and more powerful than on Earth, because those planets'
magnetic fields are orders of magnitude more intense.
On Uranus, auroras get weirder, because the planet's magnetic field is oriented
roughly vertically, but the planet rotates on its side. That means instead of the
bright rings you see on other worlds, Uranus' auroras look more like single bright
spots, at least when spied by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011. But it's not
clear that's always the case, because no spacecraft has seen the planet up-close
since 1986.

4. The lights can move south

Occasionally the auroras are visible farther from the poles than usual. In times of
high solar activity, the southern limit for seeing auroras can go as far south as
Oklahoma and Atlanta — as it did in October 2011. A record was probably set at
the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia in 1862, during the Civil War, when the
northern lights appeared. Many soldiers noted it in their diaries. Viereck said it is
actually harder now than a century ago to tell when auroras are very bright,
because so many Americans live in cities, and the lights wash out the aurora.
"You could have a major auroral storm in New York City and if you looked up you
wouldn't notice," he said.

5. Divine signs?
Southern Lights captured by the crew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.
Credit: NASA
Speaking of that Civil War aurora, a few observers took the swirling light show as
a bad omen (notably Elizabeth Lyle Saxon, who wrote about the phenomenon in
her 1905 book, "A Southern Woman's War Time Reminiscences"), though most
people just saw it as an unusual and impressive display. In areas where the lights
are rare, they were often taken as bad omens, as the ancient Greeks did. The
Inuit, who see auroras more often, thought the lights were spirits playing in the
sky, and some groups would tell children not to play outside at night lest the
aurora disappear and take them along. Lapplanders thought the lights were the
spirits of the dead. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Maori and Aboriginal people
of Australia associated the southern lights with fires in the spirit world.
Oddly, the Old Norse and Icelandic literature doesn't seem to mention auroras
much. The Vikings thought the displays might be fires that surrounded the edge
of the world, an emanation of flame from the northern ice, or reflections from the
sun as it went around the other side of the Earth. All three ideas were considered
rational, non-supernatural explanations in the Medieval Period.

6. Cold fire
The northern lights look like fire, but they wouldn't feel like one. Even though the
temperature of the upper atmosphere can reach thousands of degrees
Fahrenheit, the heat is based on the average speed of the molecules. After all,
that's what temperature is. But feeling heat is another matter – the density of the
air is so low at 60 miles (96 kilometers) up that a thermometer would register
temperatures far below zero where aurora displays occur.

7. Cameras see it better

Auroras are relatively dim, and the redder light is often at the limit of what human
retinas can pick up. Cameras, though, are often more sensitive, and with a long-
exposure setting and a clear dark sky you can pick up some spectacular shots.

8. You can't predict a show

One of the most difficult problems in solar physics is knowing the shape of a
magnetic field in a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is basically a huge blob
of charged particles ejected from the sun. Such CMEs have their own magnetic
fields. The problem is, it is nigh impossible to tell in what direction the CME field
is pointing until it hits. A hit creates either a spectacular magnetic storm and
dazzling aurora with it, or a fizzle. Currently there's no way to know ahead of
time.
NOAA has an online map that can tell you what auroral activity looks like on any
given day, showing the extent of the "auroral oval" and where one is more likely
to catch the lights.