The Aurora Borealis Welcomes You
to the Lapland Magic

The Aurora Borealis

The Aurora Borealis could be a scary thing to us children.Our parents often admonished us that the Aurora could be dangerous. They told us not to stare at her because she could come and take us away. We were unsure of this, and the admonitions gave us chills along the spine. So we had to challenge fate....

The Aurora or the Northern Light has an hypnotic effect. She takes countless shapes and forms and colours. She appears during late autumn and winter nights, especially when temperatures are low and way below zero Centigrades. -----
(Photo courtesy: Allthingsarctic)

Watch these nice pictures by the Lapland photographer Martti Hagman. Click to watch Marttis beautiful Aurora Borealis pictures

The Mystique

Many people are attracyed by the mystique of the Lapland light. The Aurora is a light organ that sometimes plays her soft, mystical music. All of a sudden the light show speeds up and Aurora leaps from horizon to horizon in no time with her tails and ribbons of colour. Lapland light is something very special well worth seeing.

In olden times people didn't know much about Aurora. She was mystical. She was dangerous and ominous. It was a warning about punishment or war and pestilence. In the Sami language the Aurora is called "guovssahas" which means "the light that can be heard".

Today we know that the Aurora is caused by solar winds that emit electrons and ions. When the Aurora leaps across the dark blue-black sky it is an overwhelming sight. The Aurora is 90-150 kilometres out in space.

But even if we can explain the Aurora and the other phenomena of Lapland light, they still have an aura of mystique. The best time to experience the Aurora Borealis is between November and February.

The English photographer, Patricia Cowern, lives in Porjus in Jokkmokk in Swedish Lapland. She is dedicated to conveying the beauty and the mystique of the aurora borealis through her camera lenses. Take pleasure in Patricia's aurora borealis images here.

Best places to see it?

It can be seen in all parts of Lapland. But if you come a long way to see it, your best choice is Finnmark (Norwegian Lapland) if you want the best odds. The city of Alta in Finnmark is even called "The City of the Aurora Borealis".

But generally speaking you'll find the best watching places in inner and central parts of Lapland in all three countries. Here the chances of cloudy nights during winter are less than at coastal areas.


(Photo courtesy: Patricia Cowern)

Outside Alta, "The City of the Aurora Borealis", we find the Haldde mountain, with the world's first northern lights observatory on its top, 904 metres above sea level. During the first half of the previos century the observatory played an important role in the development of both geophysical and meteorological research. The observatory building has been partly renovated and is open to the public.

The picture to the left shows the Haldde mountain outside Alta with the old partly restored observatory.

Fighting the light pollution

In Alta - "The City of the Aurora Borealis" - they have (as of November 2008) started a procject to make it possible for tourists and locals to see the Northern light having to leave the city center. The goal of the projct is to use lights in the city in such a way that one can see the Aurora from the city center.

They want to do something about what we can call the light pollution. Will wait and see the results of this exciting project. I guess the results are important for "The City of the Aurora Borealis".

Northern light photography

You may want to take your own pictures of the northern light. Here are some basic Northern light photography tips that we have prepared.

Aurora Borealis Resources

We'll give you one Aurora Borealis source from each part of Lapland to give you more insight into the realm of Lapland light.

Here is a Finnish Lapland source about the Lapland light and the Aurora Borealis

Read about The Lapland light and the Aurora from a Norwegian Aurora site.

And here is the Swedish Lapland Aurora site

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Want to read more about the light?

Will Lapland Be One of the Last Safe Havens When the Global Heating Increases Dramatically?

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The famous English scientist John Lovelock who is an expert on global warming said on TV the other day that when Europe is heating up, presumably already in this century, places like Lapland and Svalbard (Spitzbergen) will be the best places to live in Europe. Maybe one day you will consider moving away from the heat and contribute to the growth of our cities and villages?

About this Site

Our site can be a good starting point for jour Lapland journey since this site seems to be the only one covering all of Lapland in the 3 countries.

We'll give you the basics - at this stage. And together with the "Resources" chapter at the end of many articles you'll have an easier access to the whole picture.

Sharing

Maybe we can do some of the journey together. We'll be sharing with you many aspects of Lapland life. We'll share our own feelings and thoughts with you. Hopefully some of it will be useful to you. But we also invite you to share your experiences in Lapland with us and with other visitors on this site. This way we will enhance the experience for newbees and also for those who want to come back for more of our wonderful area.

Acknowledgements