Northern lights (aurora borealis) are the impressive phenomenon resulting from the collision of solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere.
The sun constantly emits a stream of charged particles, also known as the solar wind, into the depths of the solar system. When it reaches the Earth, it provides huge energy that accelerates the particles in Earth’s magnetosphere into the upper atmosphere, which then collide with nitrogen and oxygen, releasing the energy in the form of light. This creates ribbons of color that can be seen across the sky close to the planet’s magnetic poles – the northern and southern lights.
Or to put it simply, aurora is a far-off ‘Hello’ from the sun.
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What are northern lights?
What to know
Here is some basic information you may want to know before going for an exciting northern lights chasing trip in Tromsø.
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What types of northern lights?
You can see different types of northern lights varying according to the spectrum of gases in Earth’s atmosphere and solar activity.
1) Green northern lights
This is the most common type of aurora, caused from particles hitting the oxygen on the surface of Earth’s atmosphere.
2) Blue or purple northern lights
When the solar activity is highly active, it enables the magnetic particles to hit the nitrogen deep down in the atmosphere, displaying the colors of blue or purple.
3) Dancing northern lights
Similarly, when the sky is clear and the particles become very active and energetic, the lights would appear to be dancing across the sky.
Why Tromsø?
1) Perfectly located in aurora zone
The northern lights will appear in a belt pattern, i.e. the Aurora Zone. The size of the zone depends on the level of geomagnetic activity. The more active the activity is, the larger the zone is. Tromsø is always located in the zone.
2) Easily accessible
While Tromsø is located in the far north of Norway, it is not completely cut off. The city airport provides a convenient way for travelers to enter the city. The transportation system within the city is well-developed, which makes it easy to get around the sights and neighboring areas.
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From Google Images
