!!!Polar lights

by Sergey Rumyatsev, Dmitry Moiseenko and Mike Reyfman,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

17 March 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The polar lights, more commonly known as the northern lights, occur as a
result of solar activity: the sun throws out a great amount of its
substance, and in a few days it reaches the upper layers of the Earth's
atmosphere, rich with nitrogen and oxygen. In the polar regions of the
Earth this "interaction" becomes visible and appears as colourful lights
in the sky.

[{Image src='01_Godafoss.jpg' caption='Godafoss' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='602'}]

As there are two poles on our Earth, the lights can be not only
northern, but southern as well. This phenomenon is best visible at the
latitude between 67° and 70°. But there are very few inhabited places
and settlements in this part of the Southern Hemisphere, that is why the
southern lights are rather rarely observed. The northern regions of the
Northern Hemisphere are much more densely populated, so a lot of people
in different countries, including Russia and Norway, enjoy the beauties
of the polar lights. And the more to the north, the more spectacular
this phenomenon is.

[{Image src='02_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='638'}]

One of the best places to watch it is Iceland: this country in the
Atlantic Ocean, situated just at the very polar circle, is lying at the
latitude of 65 degrees North. Comparing to other northern countries —
its "competitors", such as Sweden, Norway and Finland — Iceland has a
milder climate, making it possible to watch the polar lights and avoid
severe frosts at the same time. The reason for it is the Gulf Stream,
which creates warmer conditions in the country: for example, the winter
in Reykjavík is quite warm and the temperature rarely drops to 5° below
zero.

[{Image src='03_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='450'}]

The stronger the polar lights are, the brighter and greener they reveal
themselves in the skies. A less intense light looks more like scanty
grey clouds; it does not appear as a colourful magnificence. But a
proper polar light is something you cannot forget: it turns the whole
sky green.

[{Image src='04_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='563'}]

It can be seen in the moonlight and even in a city lit by the bright
illumination. But, of course, in order to enjoy the vivid colours of
auroras to the full, one should ride at least 50 kilometres away from a
city and about 5-10 kilometres away from a village or any smaller
settlement. Unfortunately, the clouds can hide even the most intense
polar lights. Thus, the most important thing in the observation of the
polar lights is the clear sky. The weather in Iceland is rather
changeable, so one has to study carefully the weather forecasts in order
to choose the best places on the island to observe the sky.

[{Image src='05_Lighthouse.jpg' caption='Lighthouse' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='595'}]

According to ancient Icelandic legends, the polar lights appear when
elves are dancing and having fun. There was also a superstition among
other nordic folks that whistling or singing at the time of the polar
lights may offend the evil spirits, who can inflict paralysis or
blindness. But nothing can stop from watching and admiring this
fantastic phenomenon.

[{Image src='06_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='514'}]

The northern lights are visible from September to March, in between the
autumnal and vernal equinoxes. At the higher latitudes the night lasts
18-20 hours during that period, and even weaker lights are clearly
visible. But you should not expect that the sky turns colourful every
single night: first there should be an emission of solar particles on
the sun, and only in 3-5 days it will reach the upper layers of the
atmosphere.

[{Image src='07_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='359'}]

One more Iceland's advantage over other countries is the possibility to
enjoy many other natural beauties, in case of failure in chasing the
northern lights: famous waterfalls, black volcanic beaches, thermal
springs and glaciers will please the eye of a traveller. And, like
always, our panoramas make it possible to witness effortlessly this
colourful phenomenon all year round, in any corner of the Earth!

[{Image src='08_Polar lights in Iceland.jpg' caption='Polar lights in Iceland' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='430'}]

\\ \\
[6 Panoramas of Polar lights|Geography/Europe/Iceland/Pictures/Polar_lights]










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