With the winter darkness in the Arctic comes the splendor of the Northern Lights — Aurora Borealis.
Yesterday, a short video clip of photographer Thomas Kast’s time-lapse Northern Lights video “Aurora – Queen of the Night” was posted at Alaska Dispatch, Time-lapse images show northern lights over Finland. There are no polar bears in the film but it is evocative of Arctic landscapes this time of year — when only the Northern Lights and the moon brighten the sky:
“Thomas Kast’s four-minute time-lapse video “Aurora — Queen of the Night” is on show at Oulu’s Tietomaa planetarium. The short film was born during about 60 cold nights spent outdoors, mostly in the Oulu area.
Many think that vivid Aurora Borealis can only be seen in the far north, but Kast shows that it’s possible to view spectacular lights even within a city like Oulu, which is more than 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle. According to Kast, seeing and photographing them just requires patience.” [my bold]
Related PolarBearScience posts:
Polar bears in winter: insights from Behouden Huys, 1596-1597
“Barents and his crew saw or heard no bears from November 4 until January 31, almost exactly the period when the sun was below the horizon – with much activity both before and after. This hiatus of polar bear activity around Behouden Huys did not correlate with the period of most intense storms and cold. The experiences of these men – chronicled by De Veer more than 400 years ago – suggests that polar bears may spend the darkest part of the winter curled up in a sheltered spot rather than out and about looking for food.”
Polar bears in winter: insights from modern research and Inuit hunters
“…during the winter above the Arctic Circle, when the sun does not rise above the horizon, the moon is visible on its usual cycle. Moonlight and northern lights (aurora borealis) – plus a few hours of dusk at mid-day – provide relief from total darkness.”
December is Polar Bear Nativity Month
“Polar bears are generally out of sight at this time of year and will be for several more months. Pregnant females will be snug in maternity dens giving birth and all others will be out on the sea ice looking for seals to eat – if they can find them in the dark.”
Related story: “Magnetic storm-chasing! From Northumbria to Orkney, where to see the Northern Lights this winter without leaving the UK”
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