On the third night the plan was to climb a nearby hill to get a clearer view of the horizon to the east. A few of our group felt that they didn't fancy a climb in snowshoes and the dark and a couple stayed at a half-way point, but six of us made it to the top along with two guides. We had all been supplied with white-light headlights but I was pleased when most of the party agreed with my plea not to use them and discovered how much they could see when they let their eyes become adapted to the dark. The lead guide used his light, which was understandable, but the rest of us found it easy to follow the person in front and the tracks left in the snow.
It was quite a trek to the top but well worthwhile. We were standing on a ridge running roughly north-south and facing east where the best aurora were to be seen. At first the aurora was a bit disappointing but as soon as the guide said it was time to return the aurora brightened and we saw some lovely displays. The lights arced across the sky from horizon to horizon; in the last picture below I have tried to produce a mosaic picture of the full arc (not terribly successfully, but it gives an idea of the display).
I took 48 pictures that night and it has been difficult to select just a few to show here. Throughout this experience I had the impression that the displays were always entirely green. but when I looked at some of the earliest of tonight's pictures I realised there was some red in the display. This is shown in the first picture below which is enhanced by increasing the contrast as the display was quite weak. The second picture is not enhanced and was taken only about 4 minutes later.
The last picture, below the mosaic, has a different purpose, described below it.
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All the pictures above were taken with a 15-sec
exposure except the last which is 10 seconds.
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| This mosaic has not gone together very well but gives an idea of the aurora stretching from horizon to horizon. |
And finally...
I was horrified by the light pollution produced by a place which, to some extent, sells itself as the place to go to see the aurora. (To be fair it is also a centre for cross-country skiing.)
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On this night we went to the top of a hill overlooking Luosto and I took this picture looking down on the town. The problem is that they have these powerful sodium lights along all their roads. These shine down onto snow which reflects the light up into the sky. On our last night there, it was cloudy and we went out after dark for a sociable time roasting marshmallows round an open fire. I have never seen such a bright, orange sky even from the light-polluted areas where I have lived in England.
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