Northern Lights Delight

Christmas Day had a lazy start, with a leisurely breakfast enjoyed before we exchanged small luggage-friendly gifts. We played games, napped and had a late lunch until at last it was time for the magic we’d really come for. We were driven to a beautiful scenic vantage point by Greenlander Tours, to await the forecast show.

Our guide checked and rechecked the magnetic field activity levels and the weather forecasts, then finally as the sky started to open up and the clouds parted, he finally decided we were in the right place and he lit a fire and we set up tripods and set cameras. Warmly wrapped in multiple layers, hats, hoods and oversuits, we waited.

First of all we saw a green tinge, a lightening to the clouds, as we sipped hot chocolate. Markus is a professional photographer so he took us down to the fjord shoreline for some portrait shots as the stars twinkled and the sky gradually became greener. It was then that we noticed bioluminescent plankton on the beach under our boots! I’ll try to clear some extras so I can post a couple of Markus’s shots but for now I’ve run out.

Later, after warming lentil soup, the colour burst across the sky in two pale green streaks with a faint purple tinge too. It was awesome.

I should add however, for those who’ve not seen the Northern Lights, that whilst we could see them by eye, they are definitely vastly enhanced by a low iso and 15s exposure as well as some white balance tweaking. Anthony was lit momentarily by waving a separate torch. The result is far superior to what was actually seen! But it’s all magic :-)

Edit I’ve added one of Markus’s amazing shots