Guest wozzit Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 If you ever have a trip north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, Canada, northern Scandinavia or elsewhere, try to time your visit so that you can see a display of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) at night. I was in the Far North of Finland 10 days ago. On one night we had a spectacular Light show. It is an awesome sight. You normally have to wait out in the freezing cold for at least 2 hours starting around 11:00 pm for them to start. So lots of winter clothing is vital! There were also some amazing colours during sunset and sunrise. Great trip! skyfws 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaboy Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 This is really beautiful. I wish i could be there to see it with my own eyes. I read somewhere that we are now in the period of the solar maximus. this makes it easier to spot the northern light. So for those wishing to catch a glimpse of this spectacular view, now is the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wozzit Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 I read somewhere that we are now in the period of the solar maximus. this makes it easier to spot the northern light. Thank you. I heard that too. I'm also told one of the best times is likely to be March next year. I was in a tiny village named Nellim about 1'20" flying time north of Helsinki. The flights were not expensive (if you book a few months in advance) and the hotel was also very reasonable. I have also been told that you can get great views in the far north of Scotland which is probably more convenient for readers of this forum. I found photographing the Lights really a problem. Most websites will tell you that you need an ISO of about 1,800, aperture of 2.8 and time exposure of around 8 seconds. That gave me photos which looked on the camera's LCD viewfinder far too bright. So as the night progressed, I stepped everything down. It was all really trial and error but some worked. The beauty of Nellim is that it is truly on the edge of the world. So quiet the only things you can hear are the naked trees whistling in the breeze, occasional howls of huskies in the distance - and your own heart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaboy Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Yes. Trying to capture the beautiful sight proves to be quitr a challenge for mamy. Even seasoned photographers.I guess our eyes are the best camera to capture the sigbt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wozzit Posted November 18, 2014 Report Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) Generally I'd agree. Surprisingly, though, in the case of the Northern Lights the camera captures them far better than the human eye. Don't know why this should be! Edited November 18, 2014 by wozzit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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