Its my childhood habit of observing night sky for hours. Just like any kid, it fascinates and makes me wonder what is up there? Back then, I used to go on the hills in my town at night and like a nocturnal, I used to wander under clear skies surrounded by silhouetted trees in the moonlight. Eventually, I used to stay up just looking at the dark coat blooming with stars. You look up and above you is one large multi-billion pixel display – the sky. A clear sky where you see countless stars, galaxies and shooting stars.
Follow this same routine in northern countries in the world, and you experience something else. Over there, you start seeing something more..apart from what you see otherwise – The green streaks. Floating in the air, they lie hanged to invisible strings. They keep moving, shaking as you gasp seeing the ultimate natural phenomenon! These curtains of lights are known as the Northern Lights!
What causes these amazing streaks of lights?
It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon, thanks to the sun’s electrically charged particles and the solar winds, once they reach earth’s atmosphere, the magic starts and these amazing curtains of lights are in front of you! The science behind it is pretty simple. The suns particles collide with the earth’s atmosphere and cause tiny little blasts. These blasts collectively produce these shades of lights in the sky. Northern lights are also known as “Aurora borealis”. This spectacular view is possible only at the polar caps! North as well as South.
They are not just limited to green color, but shades of red, yellow-green, red-purple are also present. The colors differ in the levels of altitude they are at!
So which are the best places to see the Northern lights?
North Canada, Alaska, northern tips of UK, Norway, Northern Scandinavia or even Iceland, are just a few places to have a look at these magnificent wonders of nature. As said, these are natural wonders. So whenever you go, do not keep high expectations! If you see one, it’s a treat for the eyes. And like me, if you are a photography enthusiast, take more than one battery, a tripod, a remote for your camera and bundle up yourself before you reach!
Nature never stops astonishing us. There is so much to explore and study except being busy in our daily routine. So get out and keep your eyes peeled for nature around you. Too many unseen treasures await explorations!
Many videos are present on the internet. This one is without the timelapse and is shot with natural speed.
A fast video showing the northern lights in action
Image inputs from Pixabay and Wikipedia. Video inputs from YouTube