The northern lights have fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and visiting somewhere that I can see them for myself is absolutely on my bucket list.
You can see the aurora borealis from various places across the world including Norway, Iceland, Canada and Greenland.
One amazing way to go and see them would be on an Ambassador Cruise Line northern lights cruise, either around Norway or Iceland.
For a trip to see the northern lights in Iceland, consider securing some trusty transport first. Cozy Campers has a fleet of campervans designed for chasing the lights as far as you can possibly and safely go and marvel at them in the comforts of your vehicle.
If you don’t know much about this stunning phenomenon, here are 7 fascinating facts about the northern lights.
1. They were first named by Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei named the phenomenon the Aurora Borealis back in 1619. Aurora is the Roman goddess of dawn, and ‘borealis’ is the Greek word for north.
2. They were recorded a long time before Galileo named them
Galileo may have given the northern lights their name, but they were observed and documented long before he came along.
There are records of the northern lights being seen in China in 2600 B.C, and some believe that the lights are depicted in the cave paintings of Cro-Magnon man, in about 30,000 BC.
3. Each light display is different
Every single display of the northern lights is unique, so you’ll never have the same experience of them twice.
The lights are caused by gas particles in the Earth’s atmosphere colliding with charged particles from the sun’s atmosphere.
Variations in the way the particles interact mean that the light displays are different every time.
4. You can sometimes hear them
You might expect the aurora borealis to be silent, and for the most part you’d be right. But at times of maximum aurora activity you can sometimes hear clapping and crackling sounds, that are similar to what you can hear during a thunderstorm.
Some people also report hearing whooshing sounds when they see the northern lights, and scientists haven’t quite worked out yet why this might be.
5. Earth isn’t the only planet with northern lights
The aurora borealis aren’t unique to our planet.
Astronomers have also witnessed northern lights on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
6. They can be seen from space
The astronauts on the International Space Station have filmed some stunning footage of the aurora borealis as they pass by it while in orbit.
Seeing them from this different viewpoint is just incredible and a sight I don’t think you could ever get bored of.
7. There are some fascinating myths and legends about the northern lights
- Some North American Inuit tribes believed the northern lights are the spirits of dead people who are playing football
- Other Inuit tribes believed they represent the spirits of dead animals
- In Estonia is was believed that the aurora borealis were horse-drawn carriages bringing celestial guests to a wedding
- A Norse legend is that the lights are reflections from the shields of the Valkyries and that they acted as an archway into Valhalla
Did you already know all these facts about the northern lights? If you didn’t already want to go and see them for yourself, has reading this made you change your mind?
Disclosure: this is a collaborative post