Another trip to the arctic region to see northern lights. This time we went further north than ever before, to Tromsö region, just 300 Km south of the north cape . Winter is a magical time with soft light during the day and a spectacular lightshow at night. Aurora Borealis as the northern lights are called are particles from the sun that are dragged into the atmosphere by the Earth´s magnetic field.
The charged particles collide with nitrogen and oxygen atoms ,releasing flashes of coloured light.The color of the northern lights depends on the sort of atom involved in the collision. Our atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and hydrogen atoms. But because the composition of the atmosphere varies, different coloured auroras occur at different heights. Red lights occur at altitudes of 150 miles and above. The green aurora at altitudes above 100 miles and the purple ones occur at an altitude of just 60 miles above our heads. To witness the magical dance of the aurora around the artic nightsky is something we won´t ever forget.
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© Wonderful Planet Photography by Peter Heil
