Aurora
"She shall have a temper as sweet as an angel...
She shall have a wonderful grace in all she does or says...
She shall sing like a nightingale...
She shall dance like a flower in the wind"
- fairies describing Aurora in Sleeping Beauty
When I told friends and family that I was coming to the Arctic in winter, the #1 question I got was "How will you handle the darkness?" Yes, it is dark here 24 hours a day, but I actually love that! I want to describe the natural conditions so you know what it's really like.
Yes, it's a little weird when you step outside at 11 am or 3 pm and don't see the sun, but after the first day or two, you stop expecting it. I actually really like the darkness because it drapes over the whole valley like a blanket. It is calming in a way. I feel like I'm wrapped in it, swaddled. The cold on my face has the same effect as a cold pillow, so it's incredibly relaxing.
Plus, the light level is rapidly changing. Think about it: if we're going to get to 12 hours of daylight by the spring equinox in March, we have to gain light and gain it fast. Each day, as I'm walking to lunch, I make a mental note of how much light there is. The sun comes from the south this time of year, so it's lightest behind the row of mountains just south of the station. The first day here, I could barely see the mountains - black on gray. Now, 4 days later, I can easily make them out, plus I can see where the peaks give way to the glacial valley in the east. The moon also makes a big difference. We have a full moon right now, and two days ago, it was so bright, I could see all away across the fjord to the snow-covered mountains on the other side. Snow reflects light, so with a full moon and white everywhere and some faint sunlight to the south, you can actually see quite a lot.
My favorite thing about the darkness is that you can see the northern lights. There's an aurora in the sky more often than not, but its strength varies widely. Usually, it's just a faint green wisp. In fact, my first time up here in 2015, I thought it was a green laser from one of the research stations reflecting off of a cloud. The aurora can change shape and strength very quickly. My team actually had a beautiful moment our first day as we were walking to the lab, because a bright green streak appeared above our heads suddenly. It felt like a magician had just pulled a ribbon out of a hat and suspended it miles up in the air. It stayed for a few minutes and then left just as quickly.
The aurora changes shape a lot. I know most people have only seen one in pictures, so you don't get the full effect. If you watch for a few minutes, you'll notice it growing stronger on the right side, then dimming, then shifting up, then fading left. The aurora is constantly changing.
I've been told the northern lights actually make noise when they're strong enough, but I've never had the chance to experience that. Most that I've seen were pretty weak, and most of them were green. I've seen purple once in Longyearbyen. The colors are stratified by altitude, so if you get multiple colors, they look like stripes in the sky.
I'm including a couple photos here taken by the Italian station leader, Marco Casula. I'm impressed by his skills and grateful to him for sharing his photos. It really is beautiful in the polar night!
She shall have a wonderful grace in all she does or says...
She shall sing like a nightingale...
She shall dance like a flower in the wind"
- fairies describing Aurora in Sleeping Beauty
When I told friends and family that I was coming to the Arctic in winter, the #1 question I got was "How will you handle the darkness?" Yes, it is dark here 24 hours a day, but I actually love that! I want to describe the natural conditions so you know what it's really like.
Yes, it's a little weird when you step outside at 11 am or 3 pm and don't see the sun, but after the first day or two, you stop expecting it. I actually really like the darkness because it drapes over the whole valley like a blanket. It is calming in a way. I feel like I'm wrapped in it, swaddled. The cold on my face has the same effect as a cold pillow, so it's incredibly relaxing.
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| Kongsfjorden in the polar night. Photo by Marco Casula. |
My favorite thing about the darkness is that you can see the northern lights. There's an aurora in the sky more often than not, but its strength varies widely. Usually, it's just a faint green wisp. In fact, my first time up here in 2015, I thought it was a green laser from one of the research stations reflecting off of a cloud. The aurora can change shape and strength very quickly. My team actually had a beautiful moment our first day as we were walking to the lab, because a bright green streak appeared above our heads suddenly. It felt like a magician had just pulled a ribbon out of a hat and suspended it miles up in the air. It stayed for a few minutes and then left just as quickly.
 |
| Aurora borealis. Photo by Marco Casula. |
I've been told the northern lights actually make noise when they're strong enough, but I've never had the chance to experience that. Most that I've seen were pretty weak, and most of them were green. I've seen purple once in Longyearbyen. The colors are stratified by altitude, so if you get multiple colors, they look like stripes in the sky.
I'm including a couple photos here taken by the Italian station leader, Marco Casula. I'm impressed by his skills and grateful to him for sharing his photos. It really is beautiful in the polar night!
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