Northern lights : Colourful spectacle in the night sky

Gently blowing curtains, it's impressive from the sky, falling waterfalls, dancing spirals - when the Northern lights illuminate the nights of the subarctic, forget the traffic jam at the end of the observer the cold. The light phenomena in ridiculous forms, the time in a yellowish-green light, time in Pink and purple tones, sometimes even in the red in the sky wabern, pull everyone in the spell, sees you for the first Time. The winter night enchanted.

"The Arctic light is not only beautiful, but also to explain is not really tangible and hard. It makes the impression, to be not of this world“, says Northern lights photographer Bernd Römmelt over the natural phenomenon. Each of the polar light is one of a kind, and any of the landscape, acting "under this particular light phenomenon" in contrast, writes Römmelt in his book "the polar lights - the sun magic in the night sky".

a Variety of myths and speculation

According to his observation, people seem to be all of those natural and fascinating weather phenomena that may affect you. The light count the appearances in the sky, particularly to the North and South of 66. Degree of latitude in the polar regions around the magnetic North and South poles occur.

Before scientists started to investigate the phenomenon, there have been many myths and speculations about the heavenly color game. Often, the lights were interpreted as the souls of the departed, beckoning the Living from the sky or from the gods to the Paradise directed. The Sami were the celestial phenomena for souls; in order not to disturb the peace of the Dead, they went in such a nights, not outside. But also of huge polar the speech to generate in the sky romp, and the rods of the wild game colored sparks, is foxes.

Into space, ejected particles

For about 100 years, the science knows how to explain the spectacle. And even physics-muffle curious: If the solar flares are electrically repel charged particles out into space, thrown. As a sun storm, you will meet some 70 hours later, on the magnetic field of the earth along the Pole - Northern lights arise, then, in starry nights are reliably seen in the polar regions.

Today, people travel specifically in the high North, to admire the so-called Aurora Borealis, which have developed in the last years is becoming more of a winter attraction for Scandinavia travellers. Alta in the Northern Norwegian province of Finnmark is known as a town of the Northern lights; only in a few places in the world to experience the lights more intense than here. The neighboring Tromsö describes itself as aware of the "capital of Northern lights". Here is a trip industry around the Northern lights is created - probably because many photos are posted on Facebook & Co, and want to make. Several dozen vendors have nightly bus tours in the program.

Exotic experiences fascinate especially

Stefan Gössling, a Professor of sustainable tourism and sustainable mobility at the University of Lund in Sweden, observed a growing interest in such trips. So the winter trips with the Chance to see the Northern lights would be marketed, also "very offensive", about the Norwegian postal ship line. According to his view, people are irritating phenomena, which are rather rare. The Aurora borealis was a "particularly unique and very aesthetic spectacle of nature". Other travelers it was a matter of "the creation of social status through the consumption of exotic experiences".

Island Why polar lights addictive

Against a hip weekend trip with the flyer in the high North, but simply the risk to stand in front of a closed cloud cover. The longer the stay, the more realistic the Chance is, in fact, some of the lights in the sky. And there is since some years even its own Apps, the monitor the sun's activities and the reliability of the probability of Northern lights forecasts. Who then Packed stands in the right place, away from settlements, thick around midnight in the icy silence that experienced a glow, he will not forget for a lifetime. (CBA)