THE NORTHERN LIGHTS - AURORA BOREALIS

Dancing spirits in the sky or forewarning of doom. The aurora (lights) borealis (north) have fascinated, thrilled and frightened people through time. Of course science tells us that the aurora borealis is caused by ions emitted from the sun (solar wind) colliding with gases in the atmosphere to produce colours which can be seen in the northern regions but this makes them no less spectacular.

For further scientific explanation click here and for the current auroral oval here. Click here for aurora predictions with email alerts.

From what I can gather the Northern Lights are cyclical and coincide with solar activity which is in an active phase every 10 years or so (around 2011 - 2012 being an active phase).

The above websites seem to be worth looking at every so often as they report any sightings. More sightings mean more chances of future sightings. The further north you go increases your chances and being further away from artificial lights also makes viewing better.

If you are interested in coming up to see the Northern Lights, Pentland Lodge House does a special deal that includes refreshments for the night watch and late breakfasts next day.