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Chasing the Northern Lights

Meet a family of “aurora chasers.” They cross hemispheres hoping to catch nature’s most amazing light shows!

January 1, 2017
By Amy Barth
Kristin Jonsdottir Photography (Sky); Paul Hardy - Concept Stills and Motion/Getty Images (Family)

Every winter, 13-year-old Aurora Nation and her family pile into their motor home near Sortland, Norway. They are off to track down natural light shows called the northern lights. Also known as the aurora borealis [uh-ROR-uh BOR-ee-AL-is], these dazzling displays fill the night sky with swirling shades of green, blue, purple, and pink. 

Aurora Addicts

The Nation family with their motor home

For many, seeing an aurora is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But not for the Nations. They live far north in the Northern Hemisphere. (See sidebar below.) “It is one of the best places on the planet to view the northern lights,” says Aurora. Her parents love auroras so much that she is named after them! 

Auroras are colorful light displays created by electrically charged particles (tiny bits of matter) released from the sun. These particles collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere. This causes the sky to light up above Earth’s polar regions.

Auroras are best seen when the sky is clear and dark. Daylight and electric lights in homes and stores can make auroras difficult to spot, as can snowstorms and other bad weather. That’s why the Nation family gets up super-early and checks weather reports. They drive to a dark area with clear skies. Then they start a campfire and wait. 

Babak Tafreshi/Science Photo Library/Science Source

A corona over Iceland

“Sometimes I think my family is crazy for chasing auroras,” admits Aurora. But she loves those trips, especially when her family spots a corona. That’s a special kind of aurora that is directly overhead. Coronas have rays of light that stretch from a central point, like petals on a flower.

Once the Nations saw a corona from a farm where they were staying. “That was one of the best displays ever,” says Aurora. “There was so much pink in the sky. It was really peaceful.”

Earth's Hemispheres

The word hemisphere comes from the prefix hemi-, meaning half, and the word sphere, which is a round object, like a ball or globe. Geographers divide Earth into four "half balls" or hemispheres: the Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, and Eastern Hemisphere.

 

At the equator, Earth is divided into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.

 

At the prime meridian, Earth is divided into the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere.

1. Norway is located in which two hemispheres? How about Iceland? How do you know?

2. Look at the countries where the Nation family has seen the aurora borealis. Why do you think they decided to go aurora chasing in these countries? 

3. Which country have the Nations visited that is in both the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere?

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