Northern light - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Esterina** · 07-26-2006, 07:29 PM

Have you ever seen northern lights ? I had the chance a few times in my life, in late august, at my parents' summer house.

I've found images on google.

To watch this live, it looks like godesses are dancing in the sky. Breath taking !

xanthuos · 07-26-2006, 08:13 PM

Indeed...you don't even need to be in Greenland and Antarctica to see them, of course.

Up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where my family lives...you can often see lights around midnight, especially during the winter-time. They are almost always green-colored. I've seen very faint shows and very active shows, and it's a nice thing to witness.

There was actually an interesting occurance that happened in November of 2004...having visited my family before during winter and gotten familiar with the auroras, and then moved up there in August 2004...I happened to be back in the states, in rural Kentucky. A friend and I were driving down the road and it was pitch black out - I looked out the window and said "Oh my god...there's northern lights." My friend didn't believe me, but we pulled over and when we got out of his car, you could see them clear as day.
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solars...aurora1110.html
It's rare to see such vibrant shows that far south, so it was a real treat.

O-Face · 07-26-2006, 09:15 PM

Northern lights are hella cool. I grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, and when it got down to around -40 C they looked great, nice and clear. Inuit legend -by whistling at them, you can make them dance.

nevermind that it's due to your warm breath passing in front of your eyes

**patchouli Lover** · 07-26-2006, 09:41 PM

The northern lights are one of the attractions I plan to see while living in Sweden. I should be arriving in the dead of winter so I'll definitly have the chance!

**freespiritz** · 07-27-2006, 03:18 AM

Someday I'll catch them, I hope. *crosses fingers* Oddly enough, I did dream that I saw them just the other night. It was weird, but that must count for something right? :P

**florencia9699** · 07-27-2006, 03:26 AM

Wow, through that NASA link it appears that there is also the aurora australis or southern lights as well... I didn't know that!!! Pretty cool. I'd love to see them some day too!

**omisan** · 07-27-2006, 09:54 AM

Hrmm... I caught a tiny glimpse of them once from the SF Bay Area, believe it or not, back in '91 or '92. The conditions were right that if you went to the top of the highest mountains (around Livermore, where back then there were no interfering lights) you could catch a tiny glimpse of the northern lights on the horizon. Of course, we couldn't see much, so it doesn't really count.

Other than that, all I've seen is Alaskan Northern Lights Blue Hair. Or rather, smoked it.

**worldwidemike** · 07-30-2006, 03:53 AM

You guys really know how to hurt someone...

I've wanted to see them forever! When I was vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, one year, I stayed up every clear night but never saw them...

One day, one day...

worldwidemike

**mish99** · 04-25-2007, 12:17 AM

OMG....I am SOOOO jealous!!!

Hopefully i will see them soon!!!

**space virgin** · 04-25-2007, 12:25 AM

Saw them all the time growing up, both in Montana and here (Seattle). Breathtaking.

**marc873** · 04-25-2007, 04:17 AM

Yeah, I wanna see them very bad. I'm even gonna be in Iceland, where they are supposed to be truly amazing, but I will be there in July with 24 hrs of sunlight. Bummer, but fuck yeah, I'll still be in Iceland

**MeTurk** · 04-25-2007, 06:39 AM

I can see them right now maaan.. ooeeeeeaaaa...

You'd think you'd be able to see them in Ireland since we're more in line with Canada than the US but I suppose it's always overcast during the winter and if anyone did say they'd seen it you'd just assume he was drunk and tell him to cop on.

**Esterina** · 08-02-2007, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc873

Yeah, I wanna see them very bad. I'm even gonna be in Iceland, where they are supposed to be truly amazing, but I will be there in July with 24 hrs of sunlight.

So Marc... did you see them ?

xanthuos · 08-10-2007, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldwidemike

You guys really know how to hurt someone...

I've wanted to see them forever! When I was vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, one year, I stayed up every clear night but never saw them...

One day, one day...

worldwidemike

Mike, there's always a silver lining. Solar activity, which determines the strength & frequency of aurorae, cycles in approximately an 11 year period. Cycle 24 is forecast to begin late this year, or the beginning of next year, and predicted to peak around 2012. So, just aim for another adventure in a few years to a great viewing place for the aurora like northern Canada, Alaska, or Iceland!

GroovyAKChick · 10-14-2007, 04:40 AM

Yep, I'm living in Fairbanks, Alaska and it's most def that time of year again

You can watch for solar activity on
http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/
Worth seeing guys! (Almost worth the 40 below..) I just wouldn't mind checking them out from another angle....persay northern europe!

**worldwidemike** · 10-30-2007, 05:10 PM

A Tpunker in Fairbanks, eh? That's awesome. I might just have to fly up there on my days off from work at the airline this Winter to try and see it. I guess I can watch the weather forecasts online to make sure its going to be clear, and so on...

worldwidemike

**d_fresh** · 10-30-2007, 05:58 PM

you can see the aurora borealis really well in Labrador and on the Penninsula here in Newfoundland. Sometimes the light will creep my way...I've seen them faintly a few times. Love to be further north at the right time to get a good look. Beautiful.

**Canadian Bacon** · 04-25-2007, 07:21 PM

I saw them twice... one while driving in N. Ontario at night coming come from fishing...

The second time after a night of clubbing, and I was driving my girlfriend home in Markham (town north of toronto).

Just utterly beautiful

**blinkchick2134** · 04-25-2007, 07:43 PM

I think I saw them when I was in Alaska. It's debatable. Every night I was there was super cloudy and the roads were too icy to get much farther north with our little rental car (who rent's you a car in Alaska without snow tires?).

We went to an overlook of the Inlet and tried to watch toward Mt. Mc Kinley and saw some greenish haze in the horizon. We asked our couchsurfing hosts if that was it, and they said it was. But we don't know for sure.

**aliz** · 04-25-2007, 09:51 PM

i have always wanted to see these!! they sound beautiful, i can't even imagine anything like it!