The northern lights are at their vivid best, a 'solar maximum' making them even more startling, writes Adrian Bridge.
We had been on the ship for three days, in almost permanent darkness, and I was on the brink of giving up hope. Then, at about midnight on our last night, we got the call.
"The northern lights have been sighted. The northern lights have been sighted. For the best views, go out onto deck six or deck nine."
Glowing report ... the aurora borealis seen from a cruise ship.Credit: Getty Images
I don't think I've ever heard an announcement that excited me so much. And what followed was one of the most gripping travel experiences of my life: a two-hour display of dancing lights and high drama that entranced, enthralled and inspired in equal measure.
It began modestly, with a few wisps of white light scurrying across the night sky as though in search of celestial companionship. Then a brilliant streak of green shot into the firmament. There was a collective gasp: this was what we had come for. This was why we had taken a cruise to the northernmost point of Europe in the dead of winter.
That streak was followed by another, then another. Some of the green waves were fringed by halo-like auras of yellow; some formed themselves into random shapes into which we tried to read meaning; some seemed to perform a little jig before falling without trace, their centre-stage place quickly taken by the next; others glowed brightly, shedding precious light onto the rugged snow-capped peaks that line the starkly beautiful stretch of Norwegian coastline north above the Arctic Circle.
It was easy to see why our ancestors were in awe of this magisterial display. Cowering lest they be sucked into the skies, they imagined that what they were seeing were the spirits of the dead; warriors with burning swords, shoals of shimmering fish, the reflections of departed maidens. They felt it was dangerous to be outside.
My sighting of the northern lights came towards the end of a voyage on board the Midnight Sun, one of a fleet of Hurtigruten ships that has been transporting people along this spectacular route for more than 120 years.
I was lucky to see the lights at all.
My trip, at the beginning of 2007, coincided with what scientists term a "solar minimum" in the 11-year cycle that governs auroral activity. And, while deeply impressed with what I saw, I knew it could have been so much more.
Visitors this year, and indeed next year and at the start of 2014, have the huge advantage of travelling at a time of "solar maximum" - a peak in the cycle regulating the forces. So displays, while never guaranteed, are likely to be more frequent, more vivid and more extensive than usual and will be visible from much further away.
Already this year there have been sightings in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Scotland, though not yet as far south as Mexico, from which the lights are said to have been visible during the solar maximum of 1958. And there are promises of many more to come.
In the traditional places for optimum northern lights viewings - the northern reaches of Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Canada and Alaska - there have been reports of truly dramatic displays this winter; tops of skies ablaze not just with greens and yellows, but also with violets, crimsons and reds - all visible to the naked eye.
"These are the best displays I have seen in a decade," says Dr John Mason, an astronomer and lecturer at the South Downs Planetarium and Science Centre, in Chichester, and occasional lecturer on Hurtigruten's ships.
"I was in Norway last month and for two nights in succession witnessed displays that stretched from horizon to horizon; from dawn to dusk. There were some magnificent structures: arcs and bands and drapes, twisting and turning; some beautifully complex and colourful forms.
"I've seen this light show many times and it's always different, always surprising. Even now I hold out the hope that the next one will be even more spectacular."
With the solar maximum expected to last two more years, operators specialising in northern lights tours report a surge in bookings as travellers maximise their chances of catching the greatest light show on Earth and visiting some of the most remote and inhospitable parts of the globe.
Trip to the light fantastic
Cruise northern Norway
Hurtigruten has five-day Arctic Highlights voyages, sailing from Tromso to Kirkenes and back, on November 29, December 6 and December 10. Priced from £949 ($1405) a person, twin share, the packages include return economy flights from Britain to Tromso. The city is home to the Arctic Cathedral, Polar Museum and a Polaria Centre containing bearded seals. Hurtigruten also has longer Northern Lights cruises and a 12-day astronomy cruise. See hurtigruten.co.uk; hurtigruten.com.au, or www.discovertheworld.com.au.
Ice Hotel in Sweden
Sunvil Discovery has trips to Kiruna incorporating stays in the Jukkasjarvi ice hotel and visits to the Abisko Aurora Sky Station, the least cloudy spot in Sweden and one of the best places in the world from which to see the lights. Four-night tours from £1104 ($1634) a person, including flights from Britain, transfers and a night in the ice hotel. See sunvil.co.uk.
The Joanna Lumley route
Specialised Tours has a seven-night Land of the Northern Lights tour in Norway following a route similar to that taken by actor Joanna Lumley for her BBC film. Costing £1495 a person, twin share, the trip includes a railway journey across the Arctic Circle, overnight sea trip, two nights in the Lofoten Islands and a stay in Tromso. See specialisedtours.com.
On the beach
If you fancy spending longer in Norway's Lofoten Islands, Taber Holidays has trips departing from Gatwick in Britain that include a visit to the Polarlight Centre at Laukvik, a northern lights walk on the beach (and a beach barbecue) and a short course on how best to capture the lights on film. See taberhols.co.uk.
Lights and the Blue Lagoon
Iceland is another favourable viewing spot, with other attractions including a soak in the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and seeing Reykjavik. The south of the country, close to volcanic Mount Hekla and several glaciers, makes a great base. Discover the World has three-night self-drive trips from about £307 a person, twin share, from Keflavik. See discover-the-world.co.uk.
A lake in the Yukon
Frontier Canada has trips to the Yukon with a three-night stay at the Inn on the Lake, costing from £575 a person, twin share, from Whitehorse Airport. Activities include ice-fishing. A five-night stay at the Blachford Lake Lodge costs from £1659 a person, including transfers by ski or float plane from Yellowknife. See frontier-canada.co.uk.
Reindeer sleigh safari
Finnish Lapland has clear skies and a high hit rate when it comes to the lights, with viewings in season on average on two out of every three nights. Transun has a seven-night Arctic Spirit Northern Lights tour in the far north of Finland, from £1049 a person, twin share, from Britain.
See transun.co.uk.
Aurora hunting
Aurora Zone specialises in trips to northern Finland and Sweden. On nights of poor visibility, small groups set off in minibuses on a quest for the lights, which may be visible a few kilometres away. Expert lights-trackers armed with weather and auroral forecasts keep in touch by shortwave radio so any sighting can be shared. A four-night tour based in Finnish Lapland costs from £1045 a person, twin share. See aurorazone.co.uk.
'Flightseeing' in Alaska
Fairbanks is another aurora hot spot, though with temperatures in winter dropping to as low as minus 40C, you have to dress the part to enjoy it. Bon Voyage has a five-night trip from Fairbanks, priced from £1785 a person, that includes five nights at the Chena Hot Springs resort, an hour's drive from Fairbanks.
See bon-voyage.co.uk.
Room at the Yorkshire inn
There have been several strong sightings in northern England and Scotland this year. The Tan Hill in the Yorkshire Dales has been inundated with visitors hoping to enjoy the lights show, as well as a meal and a drink in the country's highest inn. Admittedly, the chances of a sighting are much lower than in the Arctic Circle.
See tanhillinn.co.uk.
Tips
- The aurora borealis occurs in an oval doughnut-shaped area above the magnetic pole. The best sightings are within the doughnut rather than at the pole, and away from artificial light and moonlight. The oval rotates with the sun, and it may grow and shrink considerably in only a matter of hours.
- Displays of the lights are notoriously unpredictable. In the northern hemisphere, the aurora season is from late September or early October to late March.
- The lights may be seen at any time during this period, but late October, November, February and March are the best bets. It is impossible to guarantee a viewing even during a period of "solar maximum"; if the sky is cloudy, the lights will be concealed.
- The Telegraph, London
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