The Aurora Borealis is like a light show that nature puts on for free. Snow, cold, darkness (almost always) and an epic green spectacle moving in the sky. A few photos from several years of chasing the aurora borealis during the polar night (mørketid) in northern Norway…
A unified photo-documentary trilogy of winter polar expeditions to the north of Norway. I tried three times (twice by air and once by car), with three pretty successful results — and as a bonus in all cases, a nice bump in our beer statistics. Here we go…
Before we dive into the greenish swirls of the Arctic Circle, let’s cover a bit of theory so we’re all on the same page. As a cultural amateur when it comes to anything above standard flight levels, I draw my encyclopedic wisdom from the internet and pass it along as I bought it (especially from Slovak colleagues who have dedicated years to the astro world).
You might have seen the Northern Lights mentioned in the news recently and wondered what’s behind those mysterious colors dancing in the night sky. This natural phenomenon, known in the northern hemisphere as aurora borealis (and in the southern hemisphere as aurora australis), is more than just a spectacular visual effect. It’s direct proof that solar wind can paint.
Hey ChatGPT!
What is the encyclopedic definition of aurora borealis?
A natural light phenomenon characterized by bright, colored lights in the sky in polar regions. This phenomenon is caused by collisions of charged solar wind and magnetospheric particles with Earth’s upper atmosphere. These collisions cause light emission as particle energy is absorbed by the atmosphere. Aurorae are most common near geomagnetic poles and can take on various colors and shapes, from green to pink or purple, appearing as calm arcs or rapidly shifting patterns.
To recap: aurorae occur when charged particles from the Sun reach Earth, meeting gases in our atmosphere. These solar particles travel through space, and upon reaching Earth, are drawn toward polar regions by our magnetic field. This is where the famous Northern Lights are created! As for colors, green is most common — produced when particles collide with oxygen in lower atmospheric layers. Higher up, oxygen collisions turn the light red. And for fans of blue and purple, nitrogen takes center stage.
Although a snow-covered, frosty landscape under a starry sky accompanied by the Northern Lights might look like a romantic idyll, standing outside for hours with a camera in sub-zero temperatures is far from a cozy winter fairy tale. Tea in a thermos cools quickly, rum doesn’t exactly help with a steady hand, canned beer freezes, and icy arctic winds can blow relentless gusts.
First Trip North (2019)
Our first expedition north began in early March 2019 in Ostrava, where we loaded into a transit van and headed through the Baltics, Finland, and Tromsø all the way to the Lofoten archipelago and the end of the road at the village of Å. I’d like to extend warm greetings to Commander Tibor, leader of our expedition and master organizer of our arctic adventures.
The return route took us through Sweden and Poland back to Prague. A fun twist of winter van travel: the sliding door seal lost its ability to insulate at speeds above 60 km/h. However, the icy breeze draft turned out to be an excellent beer chiller during the drive (turning a bug into a feature).
We were blessed with greenish skies for the first time in the northern Finnish village of Kilpisjärvi. From then on, luck stayed with us through Tromsø, Lofoten, and Abisko in Sweden — a 100% success rate on our very first trip!
For instance, at a bar in Svalbard, we overheard a tourist asking: “When during the polar day will we see the Northern Lights? We were told they’re around here somewhere!” Judging by her face, she didn’t get the answer she hoped for… Planning ahead pays off, though the weather and season always have the final say.
Winter in Scandinavia
Beyond the aurora, here are a few highlights from the road. On the way back at 4 AM, we even managed to meet up with a Swedish friend at a gas station in Uppsala (quick coffee, selfie, he off to work, us continuing south). Gdańsk was also a wonderful surprise — a vibrant city with historic canals and a magnificent central cathedral with roof access.
Near Tromsø, we got double lucky: clear skies outside filled with northern lights, and inside, a colorful rainbow of Scandinavian beers waiting to be sampled.
2022 Expedition
2022 marked our second winter visit to Tromsø, following a quick summer stopover from Svalbard. We stayed near the Paulseng bus stop and hit the jackpot with both aurora activity and twilight colors on the horizon during the brief daylight hours.
To give you an idea: the sun rises around 11:00 AM and sets just before 1:00 PM. A bonus moment this year was sliding our car into a snow ditch right near a Beware of Moose & Reindeer sign, requiring a friendly local with a Jeep and tow rope to pull us out. If you haven’t landed in a Norwegian snow ditch, have you really been to Norway in winter?
2023 Expedition
Our third aurora chase returned to the same arctic base. Upon arrival, heavy rain greeted us, which quickly turned into heavy snowfall the next day. But as evening approached, the clouds cleared to reveal a dazzling green performance across the sky!
We watched the lights, explored nearby islands, fed reindeer at a local farm, and toasted the night with local beer (where one medium Norwegian beer costs about as much as ten Czech lagers). And if you think camping in a tent under the aurora is purely romantic, remember that romance fades quickly when the stove burns out at 3 AM and someone has to crawl out of their sleeping bag to restart it…
On our departure day, the weather said goodbye with fresh morning snow and a combined sunrise/sunset at 10:45 AM.
Northern Lights Timelapse
Cimrman Intermezzo
The Northern Lights also feature prominently in Czech comedic literature and theater (The Conquest of the North Pole):
(Pleasant music plays as the scenic effect of the Northern Lights appears. Everyone is struck with awe.)
APOTHECARY: Do you see that?
TEACHER: What is it?
APOTHECARY: Could that be the famous Northern Lights?
TEACHER: That must be it! I read about it in the Teachers’ Journal. What an experience, friends! What a sight! And we’re only at the eighty-sixth degree. Imagine what it’s like at the Pole! I’m full of optimism. What about you, Vojtěch?
APOTHECARY: Me too. I’m a completely new man. To the Pole, comrades! Onward to new adventures!
FRIŠTENSKÝ: Well… it was nice, but I don’t know if I’d need to see it twice…