Auroras are one of nature's best gifts that Finland has. As per the Finnish
Metrological Institute (FMI), auroras can be seen every other day in Lapland.
The same web article mentions Kilpisjarvi among the most favourable places to
see auroras. The cities in Lapland might give a good show from within the city
itself. Yet it might be a better idea to get outside the city limit as city
lights may hamper the view. In other parts of Finland, the phenomenon is rare
but not zero. Auroras can be occasionally seen even in Helsinki when the
conditions are favourable. Solar winds are the major factor that cause these
stunning lights to occur towards the earth's poles. But two other things that
are far more important are the time of the day and cloud cover. The lights are
actually ignited throughout the day, but is only visible when dark and when
there are no clouds to obstruct the view. Here are some of the links that
might be helpful in knowing, chasing, and capturing the auroras.
Know more about auroras
- FMI Space weather: Simple and effective. Higher bars or red in the charts means higher chances. Preferably look for an obsevatory below your location.
- aurorainfo.eu: Track the Bz. The lower, the better. Southern parts of Finland usually have a great show when the Bz values touches -15 or lower.
- Aurora live cameras: Another easy way is to keep an eye on the live cameras from the various observatories across the region. Instead of going out in the cold to check, it might be a good idea to check if the ligts are on from the warmth of your shelters.
- Windy.com: Where are the clouds? Look for brown areas which denote clear sky while white represent the clouds. The wind direction on the maps can be used to guess the direction of cloud movement and accordingly plan your hunt.
- Aurora Labs: Aurora Forecast: All-in-one mobile app. The colored tiles provide an easy to interpret probability of seeing the aurora at your location. The green tiles indicate higher chances of seeing the lady in gree while red indicates no chance.
- Oulu Aurora Spotters: This Facebook group is pretty active in sending alerts whenever there is an aurora in the skies of Oulu. They also have a map of places in Oulu where there is less light pollution.
- Aurora alerts in Finland: Another Facebook group with active members reporting aurora sighting across Finland.
- SpaceWeatherLive: The Facebook page and the website provides regular updates about possible solar storms that can generate strong auroras.
Capture the auroras
- Aurora Hunter: How to Photograph Northern Lights
- How to Photograph the Northern Lights? by Thomas Ulich
- The Best Camera Settings For Northern Lights Photography by Rayann Elzein
The aurora hunters in Lapland
- Lorenzo, Luisa and the Arctic Road Trips: They are based in Rovaniemi and conduct aurora hunting tours around Lapland. I had joined them during my visit in December 2021. Check out their Instagram page for some amazing captures.
- Jasim Sarker: Another aurora hunter based in Rovaniemi. Though I haven't travelled with him yet but have been following his work on social media for more than a year now. His photographs speak of what you are going to see if you tag along with him.
My captures
No comments:
Post a Comment