A high-speed stream of solar wind hit Earth on Dec. 23rd, sparking G1-class geomagnetic storms and auroras around the Arctic Circle. Markus Varik photographed the light show from Tromsø, #Norway:
"We were on a tour with a small family - parents and their two kids," says Varik. "Once the aurora made their full appearance, they were screaming, laughing, crying, everything you can imagine. It really is overwhelming to experience the #auroras at that full glory."
https://spaceweather.com/
EXPLOSION OF #PINK #AURORAS: If you spend 10 years inside the Arctic Circle, you're going to see a lot of auroras. "I have been guiding aurora tours full time for the past 10 years," says Markus Varik of Tromsø, Norway. "And I thought I I had seen it all." Think again:
"We headed out early last night (Nov. 2nd) to chase the lights--and what a surprise!" he says. "These were the most intense pink auroras I have ever seen. The pink color was bright and obvious to the naked eye. My entire group was stunned."
Pink auroras are a sign of nitrogen. Most auroras are green--the color of #oxygen atoms being struck by energetic particles 100 km to 300 km above #Earth's surface. Pink appears when energetic particles from space descend lower than usual, striking nitrogen molecules at the 100 km level and below.
What happened? Just before Varik went out aurora hunting, a crack formed in Earth's magnetic field. Energetic particles rushed through the gap, penetrating deeply enough for pink.
https://spaceweather.com/
#CME' SPARKS #AURORAS OVER #ICELAND: Every day the sun hurls multiple CMEs into space. Many are faint; some overlap; they go in all directions. It's inevitable that space weather forecasters lose track of some of them. On Sept. 26th, one of those "lost CMEs" hit Earth, sparking this display over Iceland:
"Lying on the ground, looking directly up and seeing the auroras right above me was just incredible!" says photographer Wil Cheung.
No one knows where the instigating CME came from.
EXPLOSION OF #AURORAS OVER #NORWAY: Last night in Tromsø, Norway, there was an explosion of auroras so intense "it made my guests scream and laugh at the same time," says aurora tour guide Markus Varik. "We had no idea the night would turn out like this!"
"There were swirls, spikes, curtains, draperies, you name it," says Varik. "We must be getting close to the equinox."
Indeed, that's exactly what's happening. The northern autumnal equinox is only 3 days away and, as all Arctic sky watchers know, auroras love equinoxes.
Bom-dia :) - APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13) -
Meteoros e #Auroras sobre a Islândia (2021 13 de dezembro) -
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211213.html -
O que está acontecendo atrás daquela montanha? Bastante. Em primeiro lugar, a própria montanha, chamada Kirkjufell, é bastante antiga e está localizada no oeste da Islândia, perto da cidade de Grundarfjörður. Em frente à estrutura íngreme encontra-se um fiorde que havia começado a congelar quando a imagem acima foi tirada - em meados de dezembro de 2012. Embora bastante tênues a olho nu, as belas cores das auroras de fundo tornaram-se bastante aparentes em a exposição de 25 segundos. O que torna esta imagem particularmente notável, porém, é que ela também captura riscos da chuva de meteoros de Geminídeos - meteoros que poderiam não ser evidentes se a aurora fosse muito mais brilhante. Ao longe, à esquerda, está a faixa de nossa Via Láctea, enquanto estrelas de nossa parte local da Via Láctea aparecem espalhadas ao fundo. Amanhã à noite, a chuva de meteoros dos Geminídeos atingirá o pico novamente e pode muito bem proporcionar aos entusiastas do céu suas próprias experiências visuais memoráveis. - Crédito de imagem e direitos autorais: James Boardman-Woodend; Anotação: Judy Schmidt - Tradução do Google -
Bom-dia :) - APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 12) -
Meteoros e #Auroras sobre a Islândia (2021 12 de dezembro) -
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211212.html -
O que está acontecendo atrás daquela montanha? Bastante. Em primeiro lugar, a própria montanha, chamada Kirkjufell, é bastante antiga e está localizada no oeste da Islândia, perto da cidade de Grundarfjörður. Em frente à estrutura íngreme encontra-se um fiorde que havia começado a congelar quando a imagem acima foi tirada - em meados de dezembro de 2012. Embora bastante tênues a olho nu, as belas cores das auroras de fundo tornaram-se bastante aparentes em a exposição de 25 segundos. O que torna esta imagem particularmente notável, porém, é que ela também captura riscos da chuva de meteoros de Geminídeos - meteoros que poderiam não ser evidentes se a aurora fosse muito mais brilhante. Ao longe, à esquerda, está a faixa de nossa Via Láctea, enquanto estrelas de nossa parte local da Via Láctea aparecem espalhadas ao fundo. Amanhã à noite, a chuva de meteoros dos Geminídeos atingirá o pico novamente e pode muito bem proporcionar aos entusiastas do céu suas próprias experiências visuais memoráveis. - Crédito de imagem e direitos autorais: James Boardman-Woodend; Anotação: Judy Schmidt - Tradução do Google -
Maior #TempestadeSolar em anos gera show de #Auroras Boreais -
https://pic.twitter.com/9CNq2UR2YQ -
RT Astronomiaum 🌎 🚀 -
"Como previsto, o céu dançou hoje nas altas latitudes da #Terra, com a chegada das partículas carregadas geradas pela flare solar! Esse vídeo foi feito no #Alasca e mostra belas #Auroras " -
https://pic.twitter.com/ZGY8Kwm7KI -
RT Sacani (Space Today) - 2:21 AM · 12 de out de 2021·-
A hotel in Iceland is offering a unique opportunity for one photographer: in exchange for photos of the Northern Lights, it will provide airfare to the country as well as a month of room and board.
As spotted by Travel and Leisure, Hotel Rangá, located in the countryside of South Iceland and a 90-minute drive away from the capital Reykjavik, is on the lookout for one traveling photographer who can showcase the hotel's spectacular location which is ideal for viewing Northern Lights. This is the first time the hotel is seeking an official "lights catcher."
As peak Northern Lights season -- from September through to March -- is approaching Iceland, the chosen applicant will receive room and board at the hotel as well as a round trip flight in exchange for both photo and video content of the beautiful natural phenomenon from mid-September to mid of October this year.
Additional hotel amenities available to the chosen applicant include access to the hotel's stargazing observatory, hot tubs, and the opportunity to explore the wide and photogenic landscape of the area on the shooter's days off.
The photographer will also have an option to visit The Highland Center Hrauneyjar, which is the hotel's sister property located in the uninhabited center of Iceland -- the Iceland highlands.
In return for this, the hotel asks a commitment of three weeks during which the photographer will provide high-quality Northern Lights photos and videos, with an unlimited license assigned to the hotel so that it can use them in promotional materials, be it printed or on the web, for an unlimited period of time. While the request to hand over full copyright to the hotel might seem like a steep ask, the "work for hire" exchange of room, board, and travel seems like a fair ask.
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Alongside general information, the application requires photographers to submit why they think they should become the hotel's light catcher, whether they have any experience in photographing in darkness, have been to Iceland prior, or have captured Northern Lights before, and whether they have been vaccinated.
This is not the first time that Hotel Rangá has used innovative marketing techniques. Last year it offered free stays to women who proposed to their partners on Leap Day, and during the pandemic, it sent 700 free postcards to those who had requested them for Valentine's Day.
Photographers interested in the opportunity can apply on the Hotel Rangá website. Although current travel restrictions to Iceland don't apply to travelers with proof of vaccination or prior infection, all foreign visitors are required to preregister, with all the up-to-date travel news and restrictions available on the Island website.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
#news #travel #aurora #auroraborealis #auroras #iceland #icelandic #northernlights #volcano
