The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: January twenty-second, previewing the greatest light show on earth.

First comes an opalescent curtain of shimmering white light towering 60 to 100 miles into the air. It's followed by cascades of luminescent green, radiant red and opulent purple. Though the show takes place in earth's atmosphere, the Northern Lights start on the surface of the sun, when highly- charged particles are shot into space by giant storms. As these solar winds near earth, the particles are deflected toward the poles, where they stream down along the magnetic field, like beads on a wire. Neon reds and greens light up when the particles ionize oxygen molecules in the atmosphere, while the blues and purples are caused by nitrogen.

Recent solar storms have made for some splendid shows, but prime season for the Aurora Borealis usually runs through mid-March. Nightly displays, which can last up to three hours, are best seen after midnight far from city lights during the dark of the new moon.

Traveling to view the lights has become an increasingly popular pastime, especially for Japanese newlyweds, who consider witnessing them the greatest of good fortune.

Although the colors can sometimes be visible across Canada, Greenland and Scandinavia, the Northern Lights are often the most vivid near Fairbanks, Alaska. That's supposedly because the city lies near the apex of the arch along which the most intense displays happen. Several years ago, a special "aurorium" opened in the old gold camp 30 miles north of Fairbanks. Manley and Chena Hot Springs are two other Alaska areas from which to view the lights.

FMI Northern Lights call Alaska Tourism - 907-465-2010, Fairbanks Tourism 907-456-5774 or www.explorefairbanks.com; For Chena Hot Springs 907-452-7867 or www.chenahotsprings.com; Circle Hot Springs Resort 907-520-5113; or Manley Hot Springs 907-672-3611

Back to January 2003 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.