The Northern Lights Project

The aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern lights - "A pattern of differently coloured lights that are sometimes seen in the night sky in the most northern parts of the world"

The Northern lights is a natural phenomenon Mark and Alister have always desired to experience. It has a magical almost mythical surrounding that has been witnessed by few people in all her glory. The Vikings thought they were contrails from Thor's chariot pulled by three goats. We wanted to be included on this elite list and seek out Thor's chariot.

Technical - Northern lights originate from our sun. Explosions from the sun's surface eject huge quantities of solar particles into deep space. These particles travel through space and which take two to three days to reach our planet. As they close in on Earth, they are captured by Earth's magnetic field and guided towards Earth's two magnetic poles. On their way down towards the poles, the solar particles are stopped by Earth's atmosphere, which acts as an effective shield and collide with the atmospheric gases. The collision energy between the solar particles and the gas molecule is emitted as a photon - a light particle. And when you have many such collisions, you have an aurora - lights that may seem to move across the sky.

Without adequate planning the odds of seeing the Northern Lights are very low. Logistically, one has to travel to a cold northerly location where firstly the Northern Lights can be seen AND when the sun is particularly active AND also hope the skies are clear. In addition, it is a winter event. Throw in the phases of the moon, which can diffuse any showing and you realise JUST how the odds are really stacked against witnessing the phenomenon.

Mark and Alister braved the odds, the wild arctic weather and travelled to the Northern Territories of Norway. Their efforts were rewarded as they witnessed and captured the Northern Lights spectacle on camera and video on a number of successive days.

Watch the amazing videos, look at the stunning photos, read the articles and download the entire experience here on The Elemental Project.

Aurora Blog

• UPDATE
• Cloud Time Lapse
• The Elemental Project goes 'Live'
• Northern Lights & Arctic Expedition Photos
• Northern Lights & Arctic Adventure
• Northern Lights Expedition

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