FINLAND AURORA BOREALIS

Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer, coined the name aurora borealis in 1619, after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas. The earliest suspected record of the northern lights is in a 30,000-year-old cave painting in France. 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. 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.

Variations in color 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.

Because the phenomenon 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 them.

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are like a moving painting projected across the sky. If you were a Disney fan, you may have come across a golden gem by the name of Brother Bear. The whole movie was centered around the mythology behind the aurora, and how it’s connected to the great spirits and the realm beyond death. It gives young viewers a glimpse of the magical colorful rays in the sky, fueling their curiosity and dreams. But how does such a mystical phenomenon form?

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.

Civilizations around the world have marveled at the celestial phenomenon, ascribing all sorts of origin myths to the dancing lights. In medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays were seen as indicators 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 Greeks and Romans believed that the goddess Aurora passed through the sky to signify dawn, the beginning of a new day. The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the location of “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. The Sami tribe however, did not see the lights as such a magical sight; they thought it came to punish them, cut their heads off and take them away to somewhere unknown in the sky. Native Americans believed that the lights were the spirits of their people and a part of the circle of life, just like in Disney’s Brother Bear. They saw it as a gateway to communicate with their lost loved ones and learn from their acquired wisdom. Another North American Inuit legend suggests that the northern lights are spirits playing ball with a walrus head.

The Vikings thought the phenomenon was light reflecting off the armor of the Valkyrie, the supernatural maidens who brought warriors into the afterlife. The Norse in Iceland also believed that the lights can relieve the pain of a pregnant woman, but she should never look up while giving birth or the child could be born cross-eyed. In Finland, people thought when a fire fox ran so fast on the snow, its tail brushed up the snow to the sky, catching the moonlight, creating these sparkling lights. Whoever catches the fox, is rewarded with endless riches. Many Swedes thought that the Northern Lights provided light, good fortune and warmth from a volcano to the north. Some also thought that the lights were the reflections of herring fish in the coastal waters, blessing fishermen with good luck. There are many more beliefs and myths tied to the northern lights, but one cannot begin to list them all. What do you think the lights symbolize?

Imagine a vacation in Iceland, sitting around a warm campfire casting light on the white snow covering the mountains and lakes all around you. The dark sky above you is filled with tons of stars, unclouded by artificial light pollution. Out of nowhere, another light source ascends, and you look up to see the most astonishing view of dancing lights that you just can’t help thinking the doors of heaven opened in the sky. Now that’s a vacation you can never forget.